Cafes, hotels and restaurants open again, along with culture and sports venues

Austrians across the country enjoyed coffee or a beer again in a cafe, restaurant or pub on Wednesday. It was the first day restaurants and cafes had opened up across the country for more than six months.

Robert Seeber, chairman of the tourism department in the Chamber of Commerce described May 19th, 2021 as the day of the Renaissance for Austrian tourism and added “Never again lockdown!”, broadcaster ORF reports.

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz went to Vienna’s Schweizerhaus in the Prater for lunch, where he was heckled by corona deniers. Afterwards he paid another visit to the Vienna State Opera house. 

READ MORE: How Austria celebrated dining out after a six month lockdown

Pharmacies now issue vaccination certificates

People who have already been vaccinated against Covid-19 can now have proof of their immunisation printed out from the electronic vaccination card in pharmacies. The service is available to those insured who are also entitled to use free tests in pharmacies, according to the Chamber of Pharmacists.

Limited wearing of masks possible in June – if half population vaccinated

Complexity researcher Peter Klimek from MedUni has told the Wien Heute programme that mask wearing could soon only be obligatory in sensitive areas such as hospitals, provided 40 to 50 percent of the population are fully vaccinated. He said this might be possible from June. 

Seven day incidence is 59

The seven-day incidence, or the number of new infections with the coronavirus in the past seven days per 100,000 inhabitants, is 59.3. The number is highest in Vorarlberg (103) and Tyrol (82.1). The value is lowest in Burgenland (33.3) and Lower Austria (43.5).

Vienna vaccinates homeless people 

Since this week, homeless people and refugees living in communal shelters and emergency shelters have also been vaccinated in Vienna.

The single shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine was used. Of around 7,300 people in Vienna who live in emergency shelters or as refugees in basic care facilities, around 4,300 have been earmarked for a vaccination. Some have already received a jab due to their age or pre-existing health conditions, broadcaster ORF reports. 

Hotels will not return to 2019 levels before 2023

Hotels in Vienna recorded 76,000 overnight stays in April, according to Vienna Tourism, the Wiener Zietung newspaper reports. That was five percent of the April 2019 figure, when 1.6 million overnight stays were recorded, 39,000 of which were by Austrians.

The net sales of the accommodation establishments from January to March amounted to €18.7 million- a decrease of 84.9 percent compared to the previous year. Vienna Tourism says it does not expect to reach 2019 levels before 2023/24. 

New President of Fiscal Council

Outgoing Wifo boss Christoph Badelt will become the new President of the Fiscal Council, which monitors compliance with the EU budget rules in Austria, the Wiener Zietung newspaper reports. In the past, Badelt has repeatedly called for more speed in combating the climate crisis and in February he also called for a reform of the “lopsided tax structure” in the business journalists’ club.

Badelt criticized the high taxation of labor income combined with low taxes on assets and greenhouse gas emissions. Badelt is against a classic wealth tax, but could imagine higher taxes on real estate and capital gains, the outlet reports.

Inflation falls in April

The rate of inflation fell slightly again in Austria in April to 1.9 percent , after having reached two percent in March. 

Within a year fuel prices increased by 12.7 percent and are thus back to the pre-crisis level of February 2020, said Statistics Austria Director General Tobias Thomas, the Wiener Zietung newspaper reports.

Deficit to increase

Austria’s deficit will be increased again by the National Council on Wednesday by €8.1 billion to €30.7 billion, with an amendment to the Federal Finance Act, Die Presse newspaper reports