Germany declares Vienna as a coronavirus risk zone
Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) listed Vienna as a ‘high risk’ coronavirus zone Wednesday as cases in the Austrian capital continue to rise.
“Since September 5th there have been significantly more than 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (in Vienna) daily, and so we feel compelled to act”, reported Austrian newspaper “Der Standard", citing government sources.
On Sunday, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz spoke of the start of the “second wave” in the country, warning that “hard months” lie ahead.
There are currently around 6,700 active coronavirus cases in Austria. Since the start of the pandemic 35,073 infections have been recorded, and 758 people have died from the disease.
Currently, those travelling to Austria from Germany are able to enter the country without any restrictions.
Of European countries, only Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Sweden, Spain and Portugal are classed as high-risk zones by the Austrian government.
What does it mean if an area is classed as a ‘high-risk zone’?
Areas are classed as risk regions when there have been more than 50 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants for the past seven days.
The decision is made by the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Health Ministry and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
A list of regions considered risk areas can be found on the Robert Koch Institute website, which is updated regularly.
Travellers returning to Germany from coronavirus risk areas must provide proof of a negative coronavirus test or undergo a free test on arrival.
Those who have not provided proof of a negative test must go into domestic quarantine for 14 days, or until receiving a negative test result.
READ ALSO: Could the coronavirus quarantine time for suspected cases in Germany be reduced to five days?
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“Since September 5th there have been significantly more than 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (in Vienna) daily, and so we feel compelled to act”, reported Austrian newspaper “Der Standard", citing government sources.
On Sunday, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz spoke of the start of the “second wave” in the country, warning that “hard months” lie ahead.
There are currently around 6,700 active coronavirus cases in Austria. Since the start of the pandemic 35,073 infections have been recorded, and 758 people have died from the disease.
Currently, those travelling to Austria from Germany are able to enter the country without any restrictions.
Of European countries, only Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Sweden, Spain and Portugal are classed as high-risk zones by the Austrian government.
What does it mean if an area is classed as a ‘high-risk zone’?
Areas are classed as risk regions when there have been more than 50 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants for the past seven days.
The decision is made by the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Health Ministry and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
A list of regions considered risk areas can be found on the Robert Koch Institute website, which is updated regularly.
Travellers returning to Germany from coronavirus risk areas must provide proof of a negative coronavirus test or undergo a free test on arrival.
Those who have not provided proof of a negative test must go into domestic quarantine for 14 days, or until receiving a negative test result.
READ ALSO: Could the coronavirus quarantine time for suspected cases in Germany be reduced to five days?
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