Vorarlberg reopens: 300,000 self-tests arrive in Vorarlberg today – Coronavirus –

The gastronomy is allowed to open inside and outside on March 15, events for up to 100 people are allowed again, and some sports and cultural areas are also open. To be able to use these offers from next Monday, tests are one of the main requirements.

Testing should increase next week, given the upcoming openings. The state of Vorarlberg is preparing for the next steps in the opening and has already ordered one million self-tests, of which the first 300,000 should arrive this Wednesday, state press officer Florian Themessl-Huber told VOL.AT on Wednesday. .

On Tuesday night, Vorarlberg reached an agreement with the federal government that catering establishments would be allowed to open as of March 15; the requirement for a visit is a negative antigen test from a street test. In addition, events with up to 100 people will be allowed again from next Monday. Self-tests in digital format are valid as access certificates for this.

Important to know: In order for us Vorarlbergs to be able to eat our Käsknöpfle again in the restaurant or optionally in the guest garden, a negative antigen test is required from one of the 53 test lanes in Vorarlberg. Nasal self-tests, such as those offered in pharmacies, are intended for attending events or activities for children and young people in the sports or cultural sector, but not for gastronomy. If you want to go to the inn, you must be able to present a negative antigen test from a test street.

Themessl-Huber VOL.AT has not yet been able to say how exactly the procedure will unfold at the inn as of March 15. Where and when exactly a verification should be done in a restaurant has not yet been clarified. On this point, Themessl-Huber asks the Vorarlbergers for a little patience, because for this a legal text is needed (one of the reasons why some bars preferred to remain closed from the 15th). The legal text is not there yet because the easing for Vorarlberg was only announced on Tuesday night.

In this context, Themessl-Huber emphasized the applicable framework conditions for gastronomy: As of March 15, innkeepers must check if the guests have a test with them that is negative and no longer than 48 hours. Optionally, a negative PCR test that is not older than 72 hours can also be used. The control must be carried out by the companies. The spokesperson for the state press suspects that the hosts (or their staff) will have to control their guests at the entrance, and not just when they are already at the table. Inn operators must also register their guests and their evidence.

If a guest is unable to submit evidence, the host must reject it immediately. Of course, the guest can come back at any time with a negative test, according to Themessl-Huber.

Up to four people can sit per table, unless they belong to the same household. A distance of two meters is required between the tables. Due to the vertical departure restriction (8:00 pm), night operations are not possible.

Section President Mike Pansi regrets that several industry concerns were not addressed. According to Pansi, the validity of the self-tests to enter a bar would have been “organizationally and economically important.” According to Pansi, it is a difficult situation for access control to be carried out by catering establishments. They also advertised a one meter distance between tables, “that would have been important for small businesses.” With the distance of two meters, many smaller companies would find themselves with spatial or economic limits. These demands apparently could not be enforced in Vienna.

Regarding digital self-assessments such as entry certificates for events, State Councilor Christian Gantner (ÖVP) said Tuesday night that the state had developed its own online platform. The self-test must be uploaded to this platform after registration. After verification by the system, the OK confirmation including the QR code is sent to the mobile phone. The self-assessments must be distributed in the country before the start of the opening steps on Monday.

Register here before a test street appointment

As of Wednesday afternoon, it seems that everyone in Vorarlberg who wants to get tested can.
In view of the records at some selected test stations in the country, VOL.AT was currently unable to identify any acute bottlenecks.

Some time windows of the Vorarlberg municipalities follow (according to the state registration platform, Wednesdays at 2pm).

It looks like this or something like this in all parishes at different times. If you still want to register for Monday or the days after, you can. There are still enough places available.

The number of test spots offered was over 85,000 in the previous week (March 1-7). 61,481 people from Vorarlberg were evaluated during this period. 96 samples (about 0.16 percent) tested positive for COVID-19 the previous week. The tests were conducted at nine permanent state test stations and 29 community test stations. Furthermore, Landes-TestBUS drives to 15 municipalities every week. Since the start of the test on January 19, more than 294,000 free tests have been conducted in Vorarlberg.