Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Every weekday, The Local brings you an English-language summary of the news you need to know in Austria.
Austria's travel rules change from today
A significant change to Austria's travel rules was announced on Friday evening, prompted by the global spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19.
It means that as of today, only travellers with proof of 2G (vaccination or recovery) will be allowed to enter Austria, and in addition, people who have not received three doses of the vaccine will need to either show a negative PCR test on entry or self-isolate on arrival until they can show a negative PCR test result. Read more on the new rules here.
Restaurants and hotels re-open in Vienna
Vienna today becomes the last of Austria's regions to fully re-open to the extent allowed by national law.
That means restaurants, cafes and hotels are open again, with the national 11pm curfew on gastronomy, a 2G rule and FFP2 mask requirements in place, and night gastronomy venues (nightclubs and late-night drinking and dining) still closed.
Contact tracing rules changed
On Sunday, Austria updated its isolation rules for people who have been in close contact with a suspected Omicron case.
People in this situation can now end their quarantine after five days with a negative PCR test; otherwise, they must quarantine for a full ten days. The change is based on the fact that there is no scientific evidence to suggest the incubation period (time between infection and testing positive for the virus) is longer with Omicron than with the Delta variant.
More than 30,000 people join silent Covid memorial
Candles were lit along the length of Vienna's ring road over the weekend in a silent memorial to Austria's victims of Covid-19 and a show of solidarity.
Similar events were also held in Vorarlberg and Upper Austria.
13,000 rounds of ammunition seized in Vienna
Police seized several dozen guns, other weapons, Nazi memorabilia and more than 13,000 rounds of ammunition from a home after a 64-year-old man in Vienna called paramedics to his home.
The man has been charged with violating weapons laws, but police said there is currently no suspicion that the man had links to any extremist groups or otherwise posed an "acute danger".
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Austria's travel rules change from today
A significant change to Austria's travel rules was announced on Friday evening, prompted by the global spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19.
It means that as of today, only travellers with proof of 2G (vaccination or recovery) will be allowed to enter Austria, and in addition, people who have not received three doses of the vaccine will need to either show a negative PCR test on entry or self-isolate on arrival until they can show a negative PCR test result. Read more on the new rules here.
Restaurants and hotels re-open in Vienna
Vienna today becomes the last of Austria's regions to fully re-open to the extent allowed by national law.
That means restaurants, cafes and hotels are open again, with the national 11pm curfew on gastronomy, a 2G rule and FFP2 mask requirements in place, and night gastronomy venues (nightclubs and late-night drinking and dining) still closed.
Contact tracing rules changed
On Sunday, Austria updated its isolation rules for people who have been in close contact with a suspected Omicron case.
People in this situation can now end their quarantine after five days with a negative PCR test; otherwise, they must quarantine for a full ten days. The change is based on the fact that there is no scientific evidence to suggest the incubation period (time between infection and testing positive for the virus) is longer with Omicron than with the Delta variant.
More than 30,000 people join silent Covid memorial
Candles were lit along the length of Vienna's ring road over the weekend in a silent memorial to Austria's victims of Covid-19 and a show of solidarity.
Similar events were also held in Vorarlberg and Upper Austria.
13,000 rounds of ammunition seized in Vienna
Police seized several dozen guns, other weapons, Nazi memorabilia and more than 13,000 rounds of ammunition from a home after a 64-year-old man in Vienna called paramedics to his home.
The man has been charged with violating weapons laws, but police said there is currently no suspicion that the man had links to any extremist groups or otherwise posed an "acute danger".
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