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Covid-19 rules For Members

EXPLAINED: How exactly does Austria's new rule for masks outdoors work?

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EXPLAINED: How exactly does Austria's new rule for masks outdoors work?
A sign informs people to cover mouth and nose with an FFP2 mask in front of a Covid-19 pandemic test center in the small village of Unterschleissheim near Munich, southern Germany, on November 18, 2021, amid the ongoing coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. - New infections over the last 24 hours soared to another record of 65,371, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) showed, part of a spike Chancellor Angela Merkel has called "dramatic". (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP)

As of January 11th, Austria's FFP2 mask mandate is extended to cover some outdoor areas. Here's a close look at where you do and don't have to wear the mask.

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FFP2 masks are already required on public transport (including at stops and stations), in all shops and other indoor areas including hairdressers, museums, workplaces and at events for example.

The change extending this to outdoor spaces comes into effect from January 11th. 

This is not be a blanket rule to cover all outdoor public spaces, but rather those where a two-metre distance cannot be kept from people from other households.

"Whenever I am encountering people, I must wear a mask," Chancellor Karl Nehammer said at the press conference announcing the measures. 

However, the final text of the law appears to be slightly more lenient. 

Situations where the two-metre distance is only broken for a short amount of time, for example when passing someone on a pavement, are excluded from the rule. 

It applies for example in queues, at markets or other events, or in crowded areas. Ministers and regional officials have said that police will enforce the rules, with a focus on areas known to experience crowding, but that the focus will be on explaining the rules to people.

The requirement to wear a mask outdoors in these situations is initially in place until January 20th.

EXPLAINED: What are the Covid-19 rules in Austria now?

Regions will also have the authority to introduce mask mandates in particularly crowded outdoor areas locally. This was also the case last year, when Vienna introduced such a mandate along the Danube Canal, a popular spot for walking and visiting the bars and restaurants along its banks.

At the moment for most adults, only FFP2 masks can be worn, though at different points in the pandemic Austria has relaxed rules slightly to allow cloth or surgical face masks. For children aged under 7, no mask is required, and for children aged under 14 and pregnant women a cloth or surgical face mask may be worn as an alternative to FFP2 masks.

LEARN MORE: Where to find the latest Covid-19 information for your region of Austria

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FFP2 masks offer better protection against the coronavirus and other pathogens than the cloth or surgical equivalents, with a higher proportion of aerosols filtered out. They are also generally easier to fit over both mouth and nose, although getting a well-fitting mask is still important.

As well as the change to the mask mandate, Austria's government on Thursday also announced shorter quarantines for contacts of positive Covid cases, and 2G checks to be required in shops.

Like many other countries across Europe, Austria is currently tightening its Covid measures in response to the Omicron wave of Covid-19. Italy for example made face masks compulsory in outdoor spaces from late December.

"We will do everything we can to avoid another lockdown," Chancellor Nehammer said on Thursday. 

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