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The Ministry of Health has sent to the parliamentary parties the draft of the corresponding ordinance, which will be adopted by the main commission. Consequently, as reported, the exit restrictions and rules for meetings will only be relaxed on December 24 and 25, on Saint Stephen’s Day, that is, December 26, the current rules will be returned.
From December 19, stricter rules will apply for entry into Austria.
Here are the rules for the Christmas holidays at a glance:
Ten people on Christmas Eve: For Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, it is now stipulated that gatherings of no more than ten people from at most as many households are allowed. Otherwise, it still applies that six adults and six children under two households can meet. However, it is now stipulated in the regulation that mouth and nasal protection must be used indoors.
The Ministry of Social Affairs emphasized that the Christmas exceptions also affect the new mask requirement for gatherings of individuals inside. This means that the family celebration on December 24 and 25 can also be held without oral and nasal protection.
Masks at work: The mask is also gaining traction in the workplace. The regulations prescribe them in the companies where people meet. Alternatively, protective measures such as the installation of partitions or plexiglass walls and organizational protective measures such as the formation of permanent teams are listed.
Mandatory Nursing Home Testing: For nursing homes and retirement homes, employees are now required to undergo an antigen test or PCR twice a week. If not enough are available, priority should be given to those who have direct contact with patients. They should also have access to one test per week. Once a week, those who work in hospitals should also get tested.
Leisure: Arrangements are already being made for the ski season, which should start with Christmas. This regulation explicitly establishes that in closed or covered vehicles (gondolas, cabins, covered seats) a maximum of half of the transport capacity can be used.
The locations that can be visited again soon are now being determined (in addition to the museums and libraries that are now open again). These are animal parks, zoos, and botanical gardens.
Religious practice: Events for religious practice are explicitly excluded from the general rules of the ordinance. What’s new is that in areas where testing is required, those who have been shown to have had Covid 19 infections in the previous three months are excluded.
No regulations have been set for New Year’s Eve yet, as the regulation will expire on December 26. It goes into effect on December 17.
