The all-day curfew will be reinstated, shops will be closed and schoolchildren will start the new year in distance education in Austria. The reopening is scheduled for mid-January, preceded by a massive screening.

Coronavirus: the second wave, the second closure

Later than expected by many, but in mid-November, the Hungarian government also decided to try to curb the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic by introducing restrictions. At the time of the decision, 5,000 new infections had been identified per day and the number of deaths from the virus was mostly between 50 and 100 in 24 hours. The first step is a partial closure, but how effective it is is questionable. Follow our news!

After Christmas, a complete shutdown will take place in Austria again from December 26 due to the coronavirus epidemic, the Austrian government announced on Friday evening. This is also emphasized because one of the recurring phrases of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, is that “Austria is our laboratory”, which was introduced before our western neighbor, and Hungary acted in a similar way.

With the upcoming third closure, the all-day curfew will be restored in Austria and stores will close. Service providers that require close contact, such as hairdressers and estheticians, are also not allowed. The total closure will last until January 18, and the general opening will be preceded by a massive screening, which will not be subjected to it.

They will be closed for one more week, until January 24.

Although the total shutdown in November has reduced the number of new illnesses per day, the number of people hospitalized, needing intensive care and especially deaths remains very high, threatening the Austrian health system, the Austrian government said on Friday.

Even if it is for a short time, but stores could open and we could still spend Christmas with our loved ones, so our efforts were effective. “

– Chancellor Sebastian Kurz presented the hardening at a press conference after talks with provincial leaders.

After December 26, only stores and pharmacies that sell basic necessities will be open. The restaurants, venues, bars are already closed and will remain so until January 18.

The curfew will once again be 24 hours and it will only be possible to go outside for special reasons: going to work, buying basic necessities, helping others or practicing individual sports in the open air. The decision to open the ski slopes was handed over to the provinces by the government, however, it ordered the mandatory use of a face mask of category FFP2 on the lifts and lifts.

Schools are starting the new year in distance education, and normal schooling is also expected on January 18.

On the weekend leading up to the opening on January 18, massive testing will take place across the country, and those that do not submit will be subject to a new one-week shutdown until January 24. This means that while commercial units, restaurants, cultural and sports facilities may open on January 18, those who do not have a negative test will not be able to visit these places for another week. Whenever possible, the staff will verify the negative test result at the entrance, reception, where this is not feasible, the police will conduct random checks.

In addition, certain occupations, such as healthcare workers, elderly caregivers, touch providers, waiters, teachers, and customers, also take one or two mandatory tests per week. “I am not used to the number of our dead being in three digits per day,” emphasized Health Minister Rudolf Anschober. He drew attention to the fact that there is still a high level of congestion in the country’s intensive care units, and this should be significantly reduced. “We are halfway there, the figures have improved, but without austerity, the spread of the epidemic would once again be explosive,” he added.

Interior Minister Karl Nehammer has reaffirmed previously decided entry restrictions, which will take effect on December 19 and are expected to last until January 11. According to them, anyone who wishes to enter the territory of Austria during this time must be subject to a 10-day quarantine and can only be examined on the fifth day of the quarantine.

The chancellor announced the start of vaccination against the coronavirus on December 27, but stressed that until large-scale vaccination of the population begins and they can return to normal life, everyone must comply with the protection regulations.

In Austria, 2,085 people have been recently diagnosed with the virus in the last 24 hours and 334,913 cases have been recorded since the outbreak began. The number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus disease is 3,073 and the number of people in need of intensive care is 495. 145 people died from complications of the infection last day, bringing the death toll to 5,127.



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