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How do bars, event venues and airports check Austria’s green pass – and what info do they see?

Bars, restaurants, event venues and airports use an app called Green Check to check Austria's green pass. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 7 July 2021 15:46 CEST

How do bars, event venues and airports check Austria's green pass - and what info do they see?

A person has their vaccination data checked at a beer garden in Austria. Photo: HELMUT FOHRINGER / APA / AFP

As part of Austria’s green pass framework, people need to show a valid green pass in order to attend events, enter restaurants and to travel abroad.

The card will allow special privileges for people who have been fully vaccinated, as well as those who have had the virus recently and who have tested negative.

In effect, it is a uniform digitalisation of the existing 3G Rule, which has been in place since May 19th.

‘3G Rule’: How to prove you have been vaccinated, tested or recovered from Covid in Austria

While much of the focus up until now has been on how to use the app – which has been frequently difficult and confusing – restaurant managers and event staff are also confused as to how the pass works.

In order to make it easier to carry out checks, the Austrian government has set up a website to help bar and restaurant owners.

Known as GreenCheck, it can be downloaded to mobile phones and tablets.

All that is needed to use the app is that the device has a functional camera.

The GreenCheck app can then check people’s Grüner Pass apps to see if they are compliant.

The GreenCheck app simply has a yes or no response to see if someone is in compliance.

EXPLAINED: What is Austria’s Covid-19 immunity card and how do I get it?

The app does not transmit any personal data, or information about the vaccine they had (or whether they are recovered or have tested negative).

In addition, the GreenCheck app can be used offline, making it easier for venue owners to carry out the checks if there is no wifi/data connection.

The app was developed by Austria’s Federal Computing Centre (BEZ) under the legal framework established for the green pass.

In mid-August, Austria made its green pass app available in English as well as German. Here’s what you need to know.

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Strike warning: Why are doctors planning a protest in Vienna?

Hospital doctors in Vienna and representatives of other healthcare professions, such as nurses, have planned a protest march in the city centre this Monday, December 4th.

With the motto “Without us, Vienna dies” (Ohne uns stirbt Wien), the health professionals want to call attention to their “deteriorating working conditions”, according to a press release by the doctor’s chamber Ärztekammer für Wien. The protest is seen as “dress rehearsal” for a possible strike in spring, Austrian media has reported.

“The staffing and structural understaffing of Vienna’s public hospitals is no longer sustainable. While entire departments are disappearing and staff are leaving in frustration, city politicians have consistently ignored our proposals from the 10-point plan to save Vienna’s hospitals for months.”, they wrote.

READ ALSO: Why Austria wants to speed up integration of foreigners into the workforce

The proposals include measures to make health professions more attractive, stop workers from leaving the sector altogether, improve working conditions in the Viennese hospitals, and modernise structures so doctors and nurses can have more time for patients.

The medical association also demands a 30 percent pay rise, saying that the recently presented agreements just below the ten percent mark only compensate for inflation.

They added: “It is not enough to create new posts that are then vacant in addition to the existing ones. What we need are people who are happy to work with us in the hospitals of the City of Vienna. We need a wave of de-bureaucratization, more autonomy and department level to find suitable solutions for and with our colleagues.”

The protest rally will start in the early afternoon at Neuer Markt. It will then continue through the city centre and past the town hall. A final rally is planned at Stock-Im-Eisen-Platz at around 4.00 pm.

READ ALSO: What kind of insurance do I need to have in Austria?

Population support

The medical association said there is support among the population for the protests, citing a “Health Barometer 2023” research presented by pollster Peter Hajek.

In the survey involving 1,000 residents of Vienna, participants criticised the healthcare system and healthcare policies. A significant majority, 63 percent, felt that healthcare hadn’t improved post-pandemic. Regarding Vienna’s hospitals, 37 percent rated their condition as “Not sufficient” or “Sufficient,” with a mere 5 percent indicating a “Very good” status.

Critiques highlighted concerns about prolonged surgery waiting times and overcrowded hospital outpatient departments.

READ ALSO: Reader question: Can doctors charge a cancellation fee in Austria?

The survey revealed that an overwhelming majority believed that increased salaries for hospital staff would be justified. Additionally, there is significant support for potential strike actions, with 91 percent expressing understanding for such measures, as confirmed by Hajek.

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