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COVID-19 RULES

Reader question: When will Vienna drop the mask requirement for public transport?

For several months, the Austrian capital has been the only province with a strict FFP2 mask mandate in public transport. But, with federal measures dropping soon, will Vienna abolish its face masks?

vienna tram wiener Linien public transport
Vienna has a mask mandate for its public transport (Photo by Wyron A on Unsplash)

The “Viennese way” has been a controversial part of Austria’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic, as the capital often used its prerogative to have stricter rules than the federal government. However, with Covid-19 numbers dropping, all but one Viennese restriction has been lifted: the mandatory use of FFP2 masks in public transport.

For months now, people riding public transport from Bregenz to Eisenstadt have been able to do so without wearing a mask – but that is not the case in Vienna. 

READ ALSO: Austria recommends 4th Covid vaccine dose for everyone over 12

In the capital, Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) insisted that masks were necessary to contain the pandemic, especially during the winter, when other respiratory infections have afflicted the population.

But the stricter measures have been criticised even by experts recently, as some Austrian epidemiologists claimed they were “no longer understandable”

Earlier this month, Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) announced that the country would drop all Covid restrictions by the end of June. As a result, as of May, there will no longer be a mask requirement in hospitals, nursing homes and doctor’s offices, as reported.

READ ALSO: Austria to drop all Covid restrictions by the end of June

Vienna, however, could keep its restrictions – but not forever. The Covid Measures Act, which allowed provinces to opt for stricter guidelines if they deemed necessary, will expire in July. There is, therefore, a deadline for the Viennese way.  

Will Vienna drop its mask requirements sooner?

Vienna could, of course, drop its stricter restrictions earlier than the deadline. The capital’s Act with the FFP2 mask mandate in public transport is set to expire on February 28th. The city could extend it – as it has done countless times before – but it could also let it expire, dropping the mask obligation starting in March.

This Wednesday, February 8th, the City of Vienna will discuss the further course of action in the fight against the coronavirus. Mayor Ludwig is set to meet with Covid experts at City Hall and the main point of discussion is the future of the mask mandate, Austrian media has reported.

READ ALSO: Long Covid: What support is available in Austria?

The City could also discuss other stricter measures it currently has, including the mandatory PCR test for people visiting the elderly and sick and the rule mandating hospital staff to test every week.

The measures that will continue to apply in March should be announced soon. If the city abolishes the mask requirement in the public transport system, the operators could voluntarily include it in their house rules, but it is unlikely that they would do so. 

Tram, bus and metro operator Wiener Linien told broadcaster ORF that t would only impose a mask requirement in line with regulations. ÖBB also said it would adopt the province rules.

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VIENNA

Why the statue of a controversial former Vienna mayor will be tilted

Rather than tear it down, or leave it untouched, an expert panel in Vienna has recommended tilting the statue of a controversial former mayor 3.5 degrees to the right.

Why the statue of a controversial former Vienna mayor will be tilted

Karl Lueger was an extremely popular Vienna mayor from 1897 to 1910. Yet, over a hundred years later, he remains a widely discussed figure in Austrian history due to his antisemitic views and politics. Now, an expert committee has proposed tilting his statue as a nod to his controversial legacy.

His time in office came during a Viennese golden age. Karl Lueger brought both fresh running water and gas to the Austrian capital for the first time. While he was mayor, the city saw the heyday of Austrian historical heavyweights like Gustav Mahler, Gustav Klimt, and Sigmund Freund. Under Lueger, the city built the public transport foundations Vienna is still known for today.

But he was also one of the most notorious antisemites in Austrian history. Historians widely agree that his rhetoric against Jewish people was a key inspiration for Adolf Hitler in the decades that followed. In Mein Kampf, Hitler described Lueger as “the most terrific German mayor of all time.”

Lueger is noted to have employed common antisemitic rhetoric to mobilise Vienna’s middle classes into blaming Jews for social problems. He called Jews “specialists in vile profits” and accused them of “expropriation of the indigenous population.”

In recent years, Vienna has struggled to deal with his controversial legacy. In 2012, the city renamed the “Karl Lueger Ring” road to “University Ring,” something the far-right Freedom Party called a “scandal” at the time. In 2021, at a time when crowds in Bristol toppled the statue of British slave trader Edward Colston, Vienna chose to leave Lueger’s four-metre-high bronze statue standing. He also still has a bridge and a square named in his honour.

Rather than tear it down, or leave it untouched, a city expert panel has recommended tilting Lueger’s statue 3.5 degrees to the right, as a way to “contextualize” his legacy.

“With racist rhetoric and populism, Karl Lueger made antisemitism a political program,” a tweet from the City of Vienna noted.

After convening an expert panel of artists and political experts, Vienna went with the tilting proposal from artist Klemens Wihlidal, noting that it would show how Austrian society was breaking away from uncritical praise of the former mayor.

City officials have so far not said precisely when the statue will be changed.

READ ALSO: REVEALED: Just how widespread is anti-Semitism in Austria?

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