Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Find out what's going on in Austria on Monday, with The Local's short roundup of today's news.
More free PCR tests for Lower Austria
More PCR tests are to be offered in Lower Austria due to demand from people who have not yet been vaccinated, but wish to visit a music festival, night club or late night restaurant, broadcaster ORF reports.
These venues request either a negative PCR test or proof of full vaccination for entry (the 2G rule). Many resident doctors and pharmacies have been offering free PCR tests in Lower Austria over the past few weeks.
Will third vaccination dose come soon?
Austria is gearing up for the third vaccination dose according to Austrian news agency APA. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein are quoted saying that it will start with the nursing homes and with risk groups as soon as the experts recommend it and the approval is given at European level.
They are also expecting “new scientific knowledge about the need for a third vaccination soon”.
Snake found in constantly flushing toilet in Lower Austria
Yet another snake has been found in a toilet in Lower Austria. Firefighters freed an Aesculapian snake from a toilet cistern on Saturday in Breitenfurt, in the Mödling district.
The homeowner noticed the adder because the toilet was constantly flushing. The snake, which is not venomous, probably got into the house through the wall, broadcaster ORF reports, and was released into the forest.
READ MORE: Why do snakes keep appearing in Austrian toilets?
Kindergarten representatives call for more testing
Kindergartens have been “almost forgotten” in plans for dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic in Austria in the autumn, Der Standard newspaper reports. It says educators in kindergartens are calling for children to be given ‘lollipop tests’ for use at home.
The test procedure for young children involves sucking on a swab, in a similar way to a lollipop, in order to test for Covid-19. In April, pilot projects with so-called "lollipop tests" or "lollipop tests" ran in Vienna, Burgenland and Lower Austria has made millions of test kits available. Until July 23 this allowed testing twice a week.
Vaccine sceptic party to enter state elections
A political party, which describes itself as representing vaccination sceptics, called the Menschen Freiheit Grundrechte Oberösterreich (MFG OÖ), has gained the 400 declarations of support it needs to enter state elections in Austria, according to the Wiener Zeitung newspaper.
Seven day incidence is 40.9
The seven-day incidence, or the number of new infections with the coronavirus in the past seven days per 100,000 inhabitants, is 40.9.The number is highest in Salzburg (58.5), Tyrol (58) and Vorarlberg (54.4). The value is lowest in Burgenland (16.9) and Lower Austria (27.6).
Austrian firefighters to go to Greece
Austria will support Greece from Monday with 43 members of the volunteer fire brigade, the Austrian agency APA reports. Due to extreme fires, villages in Greece have been evacuated and the fires in northern suburbs of Athens have been partially contained, but the situation remains dire.
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More free PCR tests for Lower Austria
More PCR tests are to be offered in Lower Austria due to demand from people who have not yet been vaccinated, but wish to visit a music festival, night club or late night restaurant, broadcaster ORF reports.
These venues request either a negative PCR test or proof of full vaccination for entry (the 2G rule). Many resident doctors and pharmacies have been offering free PCR tests in Lower Austria over the past few weeks.
Will third vaccination dose come soon?
Austria is gearing up for the third vaccination dose according to Austrian news agency APA. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein are quoted saying that it will start with the nursing homes and with risk groups as soon as the experts recommend it and the approval is given at European level.
They are also expecting “new scientific knowledge about the need for a third vaccination soon”.
Snake found in constantly flushing toilet in Lower Austria
Yet another snake has been found in a toilet in Lower Austria. Firefighters freed an Aesculapian snake from a toilet cistern on Saturday in Breitenfurt, in the Mödling district.
The homeowner noticed the adder because the toilet was constantly flushing. The snake, which is not venomous, probably got into the house through the wall, broadcaster ORF reports, and was released into the forest.
READ MORE: Why do snakes keep appearing in Austrian toilets?
Kindergarten representatives call for more testing
Kindergartens have been “almost forgotten” in plans for dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic in Austria in the autumn, Der Standard newspaper reports. It says educators in kindergartens are calling for children to be given ‘lollipop tests’ for use at home.
The test procedure for young children involves sucking on a swab, in a similar way to a lollipop, in order to test for Covid-19. In April, pilot projects with so-called "lollipop tests" or "lollipop tests" ran in Vienna, Burgenland and Lower Austria has made millions of test kits available. Until July 23 this allowed testing twice a week.
Vaccine sceptic party to enter state elections
A political party, which describes itself as representing vaccination sceptics, called the Menschen Freiheit Grundrechte Oberösterreich (MFG OÖ), has gained the 400 declarations of support it needs to enter state elections in Austria, according to the Wiener Zeitung newspaper.
Seven day incidence is 40.9
The seven-day incidence, or the number of new infections with the coronavirus in the past seven days per 100,000 inhabitants, is 40.9.The number is highest in Salzburg (58.5), Tyrol (58) and Vorarlberg (54.4). The value is lowest in Burgenland (16.9) and Lower Austria (27.6).
Austrian firefighters to go to Greece
Austria will support Greece from Monday with 43 members of the volunteer fire brigade, the Austrian agency APA reports. Due to extreme fires, villages in Greece have been evacuated and the fires in northern suburbs of Athens have been partially contained, but the situation remains dire.
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