On Monday, the students from Vienna and Lower Austria will return to their classes. And there are relaxations.
For 450,000 students, the semester break ends on Sunday. In Vienna and Lower Austria, children and young people will return to their classes on Monday, with new corona rules applying.
Security phase with two PCR tests continues
The security phase with several corona tests per week remains in place. In elementary schools, however, the mask requirement at the seat will no longer apply from Monday. The children only have to wear their mouth and nose protection in the hallway and during breaks.
The mask requirement in gymnastics lessons has been history since last Monday. It applies to all school types and school levels. Pupils from the fifth grade must continue to wear mouth and nose protection in class, pupils in the upper school an FFP2 mask.
The safety phase in the schools is valid until the end of February. After major teething problems, two PCR tests are now being carried out at all school locations in Austria. There were a total of 8,700 positive results last week, compared to just 2,100 the week before.
Vaccination campaign at elementary schools in Vienna
In Vienna, a Covid vaccination campaign will also start at elementary schools on Monday. As early as December, a pilot project to vaccinate against the corona virus was introduced at eight elementary school locations in the federal capital. At that time, 556 vaccinations were carried out on site. From Monday, the voluntary vaccination offer will now be rolled out nationwide. There are currently 3027 pre-registrations.
In addition to the relaxation of schools, the government has also scaled back the corona measures in other areas. For example, on February 5, the curfew was pushed back to midnight, and events were also relaxed.
Read more: Opening summit on Wednesday – that’s what the government is planning
Since Saturday (February 12), unvaccinated people with a negative test have been allowed to shop in stores again, and from next Saturday they should also be allowed to visit the catering trade again. Further loosening is also planned. The government is meeting with state governors and experts on Wednesday (February 16) for a major summit and then wants to announce further opening steps.