COVID-19 pandemic in Austria
[8] On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan, Hubei, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.
[13][11] On 25 February, Austria confirmed the first two cases of COVID-19, a 24-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman from Lombardy, Italy tested positive and were treated at a hospital in Innsbruck, Tyrol.
[14][15][5][6] On 27 February, a 72-year-old man in Vienna had been in the Krankenanstalt Rudolfstiftung hospital for 10 days with flu symptoms before he tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
[20] Beginning from 1 March, authorities in Germany and the Nordic countries began identifying the Tyrolean ski resort town of Ischgl as a major coronavirus hotspot.
Several hundred infections were eventually traced back to the town with transmissions having occurred from late February onwards.
[28][29] Residents in Tyrol were required to remain in their homes except for necessary reasons such as purchasing food or medicine, visiting the doctor, withdrawing cash, or walking a dog.
[citation needed] On 23 June, it was uncovered that the first case in the country was actually discovered to be active on 8 February, identified in Ischgl, Tyrol.
[citation needed] In mid-August, cases began to rise again, sparking fears of a second wave, which was then declared on 13 September by the Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz.
[citation needed] On 13 October, results of an investigation into the Ischgl outbreak in March were announced, including conclusions that closing the resort's facilities had been later than desirable and the departure of tourists had not been managed to take place in an orderly manner.
[citation needed] Starting on Monday, 8 February, the strict lockdown was lifted and retail shops, schools, services providers, museums, parks, zoos etc.
Hairdressers and massage therapists are only allowed to serve customers if they provide a negative COVID-test from a licensed medical testing site which is no longer than 48 hours old.
[48] After four months of a complete shutdown, the gastronomic and cultural sector reopened in Vorarlberg on 15 March 2021 under strict conditions.
Vorarlberg had shown low incident rates of Covid infections, so the state served as so-called 'model region' for the reopening of the gastronomic sector.
[49][50] On November 15, a national lockdown for unvaccinated citizens aged 12 and over was imposed, authorizing them to leave their homes only for work, food shopping, or emergencies.
[30] On 17 March 2020, in addition to border checks, Austria banned all arrivals from Italy, China's Hubei Province, Iran, and South Korea, excepting those who had a medical certificate no more than four days old that confirmed they were not affected by coronavirus.
On 30 March 2020, the government laid out plans to introduce compulsory wearing of face masks covering mouth and nose.
From 6 April onwards, this only affected persons entering supermarkets, but was planned to be extended to more public places in the near future.
[60] He invited German tourists usually directed to Italy to vacation in safer Austria and contextually launched a 40 million Euro international campaign for tourism.
[61] On 23 May 2020, tourists coming from Germany and Switzerland to Italy were allowed to cross Austrian borders, but with the prohibition of any kind of stop within their national area.
[64] On 21 July 2020, Austria reintroduced face mask requirements inside supermarkets, banks and post offices.
Sebastian Kurz also announced tighter testing requirements for arrivals from the Balkans[65] On 4 September 2020, the Corona traffic light (Corona-Ampel) officially started operation in Austria.
This meant that between 20:00 (8 PM) and 6:00 (AM) leaving the house was only possible in special circumstances, such as protection of life and possessions, helping others, for work and education and for physical and psychological regeneration outdoors.
