Chancellor Kurz and Mayor Ludwig Promote Mass Testing
Participation in the Covid-19 mass tests is still possible and is further promoted by Chancellor Kurz and Mayor Ludwig. The two politicians had themselves tested at one of the three locations in Vienna and asked the Viennese population to take advantage of the opportunity the government provides.
Austria's Chancellor Kurz visits a mass testing location in Vienna. / Picture: © Bundeskanzleramt (BKA) / Dragan Tatic
Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig promoted participation in the Covid-19 mass tests and had themselves tested.
"I ask the population to participate. It is better to spend half an hour for the test than to spend weeks in lockdown," said Kurz after he got himself tested.
The head of government thanked the City of Vienna and also supported the decision to conduct the mass tests in Vienna over a longer period of time.
The Chancellor and Mayor jointly campaigned for participation in the tests.
Sebastian Kurz expressed his satisfaction with the participation so far, as it had been possible to find over 1,000 infected persons who would otherwise have infected more people.
A total of around 500,000 people have already taken advantage of the offer.
According to the Chancellor, the voluntary nature of the tests should be maintained.
Since last Friday, all Viennese can be examined for a Covid-19 infection as part of the Covid-19 mass tests at the test stations in the Messe Wien, in the Stadthalle and in the Marx Halle.
Up to 150,000 tests per day are possible at these locations.
Additionally, no registration for a test at the Messe Wien is necessary, Ludwig announced. For the other locations for mass testing, advance registration is still required.
"Since the beginning of the pandemic, Vienna has relied on a strict testing strategy with contact tracing - i.e. researching and tracing chains of infection. In this way, we have managed to maintain the critical infrastructure in Vienna and break chains of infection," said Mayor Ludwig.
Part of the city's test strategy, he said, also included innovations in the test procedures themselves: for example, the Viennese Gurgeltest - a test in which the person needs to gargle a solution - "which was developed in the Biocenter Vienna, among other places, and has caused a sensation all over the world."
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Vienna has already conducted more than 870,000 tests, 192,000 in November alone.
"Vienna has therefore gratefully accepted the offer of the federal government to organize mass tests."
Registration for the test is available on www.österreich-testet.at.