Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Find out what's going on in Austria on Tuesday with The Local's short roundup of today's important news.
More holiday destinations open up for Austria
Croatia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Cyprus are now listed as “countries with a low level of infection” in Austria.
This means people coming to Austria from these countries will no longer have to quarantine, and must only show evidence that they have tested negative, recovered from or been vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter the country.
EXPLAINED: The rules for entering Austria
Flight ban for UK
A ban on direct flights from the UK and Austria came into effect on June 1st. The flight ban has been introduced by Austria due to the spread of the so-called "Indian" variant in parts of the UK. The UK will join South Africa, Brazil and India on a register of country where variants of the coronavirus are a concern in Austria.
UPDATE: What rules do European countries have in place for travel from the UK
More vaccines to be delivered in June
The amount of vaccines delivered to Austria will rise again this month. In May, 500,000 vaccine doses per week were delivered to Austria, in June it should be up to 700,000 per week.
This could mean children aged twelve could be vaccinated as early as June in some states such as Lower Austria, especially if they belong to a risk group, according to ORF. By the end of June, Vienna plans to have 55 to 60 percent of the total population living in Vienna vaccinated, and 70 percent by mid-July.
Harsh penalties for faking documents
The City of Vienna has warned people not to try and use fake certificates to prove they have tested negative for Covid-19 or been vaccinated to enter restaurants, pubs or other venues. The penalty could be a year in prison, broadcaster ORF reports.
Real estate prices go through roof
Austrian real estate prices went through the roof with an average price rise of 6.9 percent in 2020, according to newly published data from Statistics Austria. The price rises are attributed to increasing demand, driven by low interest rates and population growth.
READ MORE: The hidden costs of buying a home in Austria
Seven day incidence at 36
The seven-day incidence or the number of new infections with the coronavirus in the past seven days per 100,000 inhabitants, is 36. With the exception of Vorarlberg (87), all federal states are now below 50 - with Salzburg (22) and Burgenland (22) having the lowest values.
Austria will recover better economically than expected
The OECD expects Austria to recover better than expected, with a growth rate of 3.4 percent projected for 2021, and 4.2 percent for 2022. However this takes Austria to a full recovery at a slower pace than other western countries, broadcaster ORF reports.
Short term working to be discussed
Short-time working will be discussed today by the government and social partners, broadcaster ORF reports. Finance Minister Gernot Blümel and Labor Minister Martin Kocher have both said they want to reduce short time work as the coronavirus pandemic measures are eased. The current short-time working regulation is in force until the end of June. Government and social partners are negotiating an extension, which could be agreed on Tuesday.
Car industry representatives meet with Kurz
Car industry representatives are meeting with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on June 1st to plead against a complete ban of internal combustion engines, ahead of the EU traffic ministers’ meeting on June 3rd, the Kronen Zeitung reports. Austria is among nine countries to support the proposal to phase out internal combustion engines.
Minister threatened over 'Islam map'
Integration Minister Susanne Raab has received threats on social media, resulting in an investigation by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism BVT, according to the Kronen Zeitung. The threats are associated with the recent publication of a map of Islamic life in Austria published by the Documentation Centre for Political Islam, which has been criticised for allegedly placing the Islamic community under suspicion of acting against Austrian democratic values.
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More holiday destinations open up for Austria
Croatia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Cyprus are now listed as “countries with a low level of infection” in Austria.
This means people coming to Austria from these countries will no longer have to quarantine, and must only show evidence that they have tested negative, recovered from or been vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter the country.
EXPLAINED: The rules for entering Austria
Flight ban for UK
A ban on direct flights from the UK and Austria came into effect on June 1st. The flight ban has been introduced by Austria due to the spread of the so-called "Indian" variant in parts of the UK. The UK will join South Africa, Brazil and India on a register of country where variants of the coronavirus are a concern in Austria.
UPDATE: What rules do European countries have in place for travel from the UK
More vaccines to be delivered in June
The amount of vaccines delivered to Austria will rise again this month. In May, 500,000 vaccine doses per week were delivered to Austria, in June it should be up to 700,000 per week.
This could mean children aged twelve could be vaccinated as early as June in some states such as Lower Austria, especially if they belong to a risk group, according to ORF. By the end of June, Vienna plans to have 55 to 60 percent of the total population living in Vienna vaccinated, and 70 percent by mid-July.
Harsh penalties for faking documents
The City of Vienna has warned people not to try and use fake certificates to prove they have tested negative for Covid-19 or been vaccinated to enter restaurants, pubs or other venues. The penalty could be a year in prison, broadcaster ORF reports.
Real estate prices go through roof
Austrian real estate prices went through the roof with an average price rise of 6.9 percent in 2020, according to newly published data from Statistics Austria. The price rises are attributed to increasing demand, driven by low interest rates and population growth.
READ MORE: The hidden costs of buying a home in Austria
Seven day incidence at 36
The seven-day incidence or the number of new infections with the coronavirus in the past seven days per 100,000 inhabitants, is 36. With the exception of Vorarlberg (87), all federal states are now below 50 - with Salzburg (22) and Burgenland (22) having the lowest values.
Austria will recover better economically than expected
The OECD expects Austria to recover better than expected, with a growth rate of 3.4 percent projected for 2021, and 4.2 percent for 2022. However this takes Austria to a full recovery at a slower pace than other western countries, broadcaster ORF reports.
Short term working to be discussed
Short-time working will be discussed today by the government and social partners, broadcaster ORF reports. Finance Minister Gernot Blümel and Labor Minister Martin Kocher have both said they want to reduce short time work as the coronavirus pandemic measures are eased. The current short-time working regulation is in force until the end of June. Government and social partners are negotiating an extension, which could be agreed on Tuesday.
Car industry representatives meet with Kurz
Car industry representatives are meeting with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on June 1st to plead against a complete ban of internal combustion engines, ahead of the EU traffic ministers’ meeting on June 3rd, the Kronen Zeitung reports. Austria is among nine countries to support the proposal to phase out internal combustion engines.
Minister threatened over 'Islam map'
Integration Minister Susanne Raab has received threats on social media, resulting in an investigation by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism BVT, according to the Kronen Zeitung. The threats are associated with the recent publication of a map of Islamic life in Austria published by the Documentation Centre for Political Islam, which has been criticised for allegedly placing the Islamic community under suspicion of acting against Austrian democratic values.
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