Even in cultural institutions, people who have neither been vaccinated nor recovered must wear an FFP2 mask. This rule was already clear for the trade in goods that are not used in everyday life – such as clothing stores.
Also in grocery stores, pharmacies, tobacconists, public transport, etc., where mouth / nose protection had to be worn before, an FFP2 mask must be put on again from mid-September. However, this applies to all groups, not just to those who have not been vaccinated.
Stricter special rules for unvaccinated people
How far the stricter special rules for those who refuse to be vaccinated go is somewhat unclear as far as the cultural sector is concerned. It seems to be fixed that the particularly effective FFP2 protection should be applied in libraries, museums and archives. It remains to be seen whether this obligation also applies to unvaccinated people at concerts, theaters, etc. On the one hand, the final text refers to the 3G rule for this area; on the other hand, the explanations of the draft ordinance state that the special rule for trading in non-essential goods “applies to all cultural institutions”. That would mean an FFP2 obligation for unvaccinated people in concerts and theater.
It should be noted in all of this that the countries may also apply more restrictive rules. This is currently particularly affecting Vienna. Vaccinated and recovered people have to wear masks, for example in the fashion trade, but in contrast to the unvaccinated, normal mouth and nose protection is sufficient.
PCR vor Antigen-Tests
The less reliable antigen tests should also be pushed back. They are only valid for 24 hours, while PCR tests are recognized for a further 72 hours. There are exceptions for schoolchildren, where antigen tests are accepted longer as part of the ninja pass, which is justified by the high test frequency. Speaking of schools: According to the ordinance, the requirements for teachers with more compulsory tests will also apply to kindergarten staff and day care workers (child minders, etc.).
Finally, a 3G certificate is also required for events with 25 or more participants. So far the limit was 100.
No plan for stage 2 yet
It is interesting that the regulation only contains the first stage of the government plan. Level two would actually be more explosive and should be reached very soon with 300 intensive care beds. Because from then on, 2G should be established in the aftermarket (and similar places) as well as at major events without assigned seats. This means that a test is then no longer useful, you have to be vaccinated or have recovered within the last six months. However, it is not known whether this only applies to customers or also to the staff, as it is not stated in the regulation.
Vienna recently pushed for levels two and three (which only allow PCR tests) to be brought forward. Whether one wants to advance independently with stricter measures was made dependent, among other things, on the formulation of the regulation. Too much input from the traffic light commission, in which not only various experts but also representatives of the nine countries are integrated, was apparently not expected, as the text of the regulation was only sent to the committee on Monday evening. It should be published on Tuesday night. The SPÖ had already been outraged that morning that the regulation, as it has often been the case, would only be presented at the last moment.
