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Shortly after Switzerland, Germany wants to include Vienna on the risk list today.
After Switzerland, Germany is now doing the same: Austria’s most important trading partner will likely declare Vienna a risk zone later in the day. This was confirmed by the “press” in German government circles. On Wednesday there will be a change between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of the Interior. “Der Standard” initially reported on it.
The decision does not come out of nowhere. Ultimately, the only question that remained was when Vienna would be declared a risk zone and if other Austrian cities could also end up on the list. According to “press” information, initially only the federal capital will be designated as a risk area.
A number changes the fate of Vienna
The main reason for the classification of Vienna as a risk zone is the increase in the number of new corona infections, more precisely the seven-day incidence, that is, how many people were infected with the virus in a week. The number in Vienna has been above the benchmark of 50 newly infected per 100,000 residents since September 5, and even 113.5 on Tuesday. Of course, other factors are also taken into account, such as the proportion of tests per inhabitant or measures to contain the incidence of infection. This is another reason why the decision is made in conjunction with the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of the Interior.
Returning travelers who have been in a risk area in the last 14 days must be quarantined for two weeks unless they have a negative Covid-19 test. It should not be more than 48 hours old.
Vienna has been leading the list of new infections in Austria for several weeks. On Tuesday there were 400 new infections in 24 hours. In the case of the city of Vienna, the high figures were also attributed to the higher number of tests compared to Austria. However, the city government and health authorities came under increasing criticism.
Most recently, Switzerland put the federal capital on the risk list last Friday. The quarantine is mandatory for travelers returning from Vienna from Monday.
Schallenberg not yet reported
According to his own statements, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) has yet to be officially informed about Germany’s plans to issue a travel warning to Vienna due to high crown numbers. Relevant information is expected today, he said on Wednesday after the Council of Ministers. Ultimately, the international assessment will be up to Austria itself, Schallenberg called for observing security measures. In principle, the Foreign Minister called for appropriate travel advisories to be issued at the regional level whenever possible. You wouldn’t want to get into a situation where entire states are red-listed again.
Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) campaigned for uniform rules in Europe for travel warnings. In no way did he want to criticize Berlin.
(strei / twi / APA)
