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Actually, we wanted to summarize the details of the FFP2 mask requirement in the eastern region in this article. At the beginning of last week, emails with seven questions were sent to the city of Vienna and the Ministry of Social Affairs. A few consolations later it turns out that no one knew exactly what was going to happen. Turns out, the FFP2 mask requirement doesn’t apply indoors and only comes in eight weeks anyway.
The plans of many companies on how to deal with the initially planned FFP2 obligation indoors have become superfluous.
Questions without answer
A multi-step odyssey: the indoor FFP2 mask requirement sparked numerous discussions a few days ago. There was talk of the “dance of the masks” on the one hand and “responsible measures” on the other. While commerce and industry in particular were upset by the expanded requirement to wear a mask indoors, for many small businesses it was simply not clear what was possible and what was not. We wanted to ask about that.
- Who checks if everyone really wears masks in closed rooms?
- Who is responsible for this and what happens if the rules are not followed?
- Is there already a penalty, etc.?
- Are employees liable for misconduct or does it all fall to the employer?
- How do you want to make sure everything runs smoothly, if you are forced to use it outdoors as well?
- For example, if my colleagues were to smoke in pairs, would that already be rape?
- What other measures would be conceivable for offices, industry and commerce if the measures did not work as expected?
Drama in three acts
Act 1: Emails are sent to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Vienna City Council, but only the latter reports within a useful period of time. The tenor: The decision rests with the ministry, we must turn to it. So we urge there.
Second act: Last Friday, the press spokesman for the Ministry of Social Affairs reported with a brief message that the “detailed measures” were “still in preparation.” The corresponding ordinance will be decided on Tuesday of next week (that is, this Tuesday, March 30) in the main committee of the National Council. There is also a link with the information that the text will be completed “in the next few days.”
Act three: something was decided on Tuesday, but less than expected. The opposition blocked the new amendments to the epidemic and corona law in the Federal Council, which meant that the FFP2 mask requirement in interior areas did not go into effect. I should have done it yesterday.
Outdated updates
There was no information on this from any of the named offices, although our application is still there today. On the summary page of current measures, there is no longer any point clarifying labor law issues. The Ministry of Social Affairs has its own FAQ page for this, but the last update was seen on 02/02/21.
To summarize: there is no up-to-date information on the rules in the workplace and no valid information on when you should come. If the National Council does not have a persistent resolution, the law is now on hold for two months; So we are talking about the beginning of June, mind you.
Now we would say: if employees feel safer in the office, then they must decide among themselves that a mask should be worn in the same room, or a bicycle is introduced so that everyone can go to the office a few times a week. And if that doesn’t reduce the numbers: you could also consider the home office requirement, but then it will be even more difficult to enforce than an office mask requirement. That would inevitably cause the next chaos.
Ministry of the Interior: government agrees final regulations
