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Corona in Austria: Briefly warns of "third wave" - ​​the rush to the ski area causes chaos

2020-12-26T14:49:52.417Z


The ski areas in Austria have been open since Christmas Eve - under strict corona restrictions. In some winter sports resorts, the rules are not followed.


The ski areas in Austria have been open since Christmas Eve - under strict corona restrictions.

In some winter sports resorts, the rules are not followed.

  • Due to the high

    incidence *,

    Austria is going

    into a third

    Corona *

    lockdown

    - the

    ski lifts are

    still open.

  • The

    mask requirement

    for winter sports causes outrage among the operators.

  • In the first

    mass test * there

    were fewer Austrians than expected - now the government is advertising with

    easing

    after participation.

  • This

    news ticker

    is continuously updated.

Update from December 26th, 3:40 p.m.:

Despite the new

lockdown

in

Austria

, many ski lifts continue to run in the neighboring country.

"The guests are very disciplined," said the spokeswoman for the

Hochkar

and

Ötscher

ski areas

in Lower Austria,

Karin Munk

, of the APA on Saturday.

"At the moment everything is going according to plan."

The cable cars had to

reduce the

maximum

number of guests

by more than half

,

and tickets must be purchased online in advance.

Only those who have a valid ticket have access to the

ski areas

and parking spaces.

Skiers over the age of 14 must

wear

FFP2 masks

when they are in gondolas or when queuing.

Corona in Austria: The rush at Semmering causes chaos - the mayor threatens to be cordoned off

The situation is different at

Semmering

(Neukirchen district) in Lower Austria.

There, the rush over the

Christmas holidays had

caused

concern

.

According to the APA,

250 barriers were

set up

on Saturday

.

This should ensure that only a

limited number of people come

to the area.

Despite

announcements

and corresponding signs, the

distance

rules

were

not always observed.

In addition, it was

parked wildly

.

“We will control who enters the area.

If that doesn't work, we will

shut off

completely tomorrow,

”said Mayor

Hermann Doppelreiter

(ÖVP)

as quoted

by

oe24.at.

Hardly any distance: Storm on Semmering the day before the lockdown.

The coronavirus quickly became a minor matter in the meantime. Https://t.co/VdC4QjzGSX pic.twitter.com/KxvFX2vsIx

- Kronen Zeitung (@krone_at) December 25, 2020

Corona in Austria: Briefly warns - "The third wave will break in on us"

Update from December 26th, 12:48 p.m.:

The

Corona winter will

not be over that

quickly

, believes Austria's Chancellor

Sebastian Kurz *

(ÖVP).

"The first quarter of 2021 will certainly be an extreme challenge for Europe, the third wave will break in on us, and the number of infections will again increase massively in many European countries," he said in an interview with the ORF broadcaster.

Briefly further:

“After that, I assume that there will be constant relaxation due to the higher temperatures, but also due to the steadily increasing number of those who are vaccinated.

And I expect that we will

be able

to

return

to

normal

in large parts in the summer

. "

He also defended his government's approach in the first wave: “It was right to react decisively early on so that the contagion numbers don't explode in the first place.

This is the best way to

deal

with this

pandemic

. ”

Austria

has been in the third lockdown since Saturday

(see update from December 26th, 10:32 am)

.

Kurz justifies the fact that ski lifts were allowed to open on December 24th with

democratic decision-making processes

.

Many federal states have fought to ensure that outdoor sports should also be possible during the lockdown.

"At the end of the day, of course, political decisions have to be made by a broad group of politicians."

Kurz is firmly convinced that

corona tests will

prevail.

"I believe tests will become an absolute normality like brushing their teeth every day in the coming months, and I think the masses of people will be happy when the tests help us reduce infection."

+

Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP), Federal Chancellor of Austria

© Roland Schlager / APA / dpa 

Corona in Austria: Third lockdown in the country - vaccination doses arrived

Update from December 26th,

10:32 a.m

.:

Just in time for the start of the third

corona lockdown in Austria

this Saturday, the first

vaccination

doses with the agent from

Biontech and Pfizer

arrived in the country

that night

.

The delivery came from Belgium via Germany, as the authorities announced.

The approximately 10,000 cans were brought from the border crossing in Suben in Upper Austria to a warehouse in Vienna under police escort.

The vaccination campaign is to begin on Sunday, initially for over 80-year-old residents of old people's and nursing homes, similar to Germany.

Due to the shutdown *, many

shops will

now be closed until January 17th.

Grocery stores, pharmacies and drug stores, for example, are excluded.

Hairdressers and many other service providers are closed, as are cultural and leisure facilities.

In the past seven days, around 160 cases per 100,000 inhabitants were counted.

In

contrast to the previous months,

the so-called

seven-day incidence is

now below the current values ​​in Germany.

Corona in Austria: 400 ski stations are open - only a few skiers on the way

Update from December 25th:

Much was criticized, but on the opening day itself the expected rush did not materialize.

Despite the

corona pandemic,

around 400

ski stations

in Austria

reopened

on Christmas Eve

- even though the third nationwide corona lockdown will come into force on Saturday, December 26th.

Due to the 10-day quarantine, large numbers of tourists were not expected anyway, but even for the Austrians themselves, the ski start fell into the water, as the saying goes.

In the west of Austria, Christmas was mostly rainy and snowy at higher altitudes.

There were only a few skiers on the slopes, as

reported by the

oe24.at

portal

.

In this way, at least in the winter sports regions, you could keep the necessary safety distance without any problems.

However, further lawsuits follow.

Above all, the mask requirement on and in the gondolas causes a lack of understanding.

Alois Rainer, chairman of the gastronomy department in the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce, has a “massive lack of understanding” about the take-away regulation.

"Who will compensate the hosts for this additional damage?" He said today.

First report from December 23rd:

Vienna - The

ski lifts

are allowed to open from December 24th under strict conditions - but hardly anyone expects tourists in Austria on that day.

They have

to be in

quarantine

for

up to ten days

due to

Corona

.

The start is intended for locals anyway - but without

Ischgl

, which should mean something even to non-winter sports enthusiasts.

And

Saalbach-Hinterglemm

will not be there either.

The reason: the Austria-wide obligation

to wear

an

FFP2 mask

in the gondolas and when queuing

: "At some point it will be enough," said Isabella Dschulnigg, managing director of Saalbacher Bergbahnen, the

Salzburger Nachrichten

.

The FFP2 obligation is

unconstitutional

from the point of view of their industry

.

A cable car cannot guarantee a check of the masks, but the

legal liability

lies with the managing directors.

+

Fun in Ischgl (archive image) - before Corona

© Felix Hörhager / dpa

Ischgl tourism director on Corona in Austria: "We are in the shop window"

In Ischgl, once a

hotspot

for the spread of the corona virus, the problem is the cross-border ski area with Switzerland.

"If you make two turns in Swiss territory, you would have to be in quarantine when you return to Austria," said Ischgl's tourism director Andreas Steibl.

In

Switzerland and Austria,

completely different regulations also

prevailed

when it came to the mandatory protective masks and

catering

.

"We are in the shop window and would rather not start under these conditions." Shall now after in Austria to A start

on January 17

permanent

lockdown

sought

which also includes restaurants and hotels.

Corona mass tests in Austria: Kurz government tries a second run

In the neighboring country of Germany, the incidence value is currently around

200

.

Last Friday, the Austrian Chancellor

Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) announced

a

third hard lockdown

.

The second didn't end until December 7th.

All-day

exit

restrictions

apply again from December 26th to January 24th

.

There should be easing for citizens who take part in the

corona mass tests

planned for mid-January (15-17)

.

Specifically, that means: From December 26th.

Trade and body-close service providers are closed again.

Affected employees have the option of short-time work.

This year there will still be a sales replacement, from next year there will be a fixed cost subsidy.

- Sebastian Kurz (@sebastiankurz) December 18, 2020

The country has a different timetable than Germany:

Shops

(except pharmacies and drug stores),

museums

and

schools

have to close again - from January

18,

they should then be accessible to those citizens who

can show

a

negative test result

.

Teachers, shop assistants and public transport drivers will be retested

weekly

from this date

.

(dpa / AFP / frs)

* Merkur.de is part of the Ippen digital editorial network.

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List of rubric lists: © Georg Hochmuth / dpa

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-12-26

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