Covid-19 in Austria: Equal Treatment of Vaccinated, Tested and Recovered
The Austrian parliament has approved the equal treatment of Covid-19 vaccinated, tested and recovered. Find out what exactly this means for the opening steps on May 19 and what other measures were approved by the parliament.
Covid-19 vaccinated people will now have the same benefits as tested or recovered people. / Picture: © Flickr / Tim Reckmann (CC BY 2.0)
The equality of vaccinated, tested and recovered persons, which is also a prerequisite for the "Green Passport", has been approved by the Austrian parliament.
The new approved regulation will save vaccinated people from having to undergo entry tests in view of the opening steps planned from May 19, such as for visiting restaurants, cultural and sporting events, and at body-related services. A prerequisite for the exemption of testing is that the first vaccination has been 21 days ago.
In addition, there may be an extended obligation to test at places of work in the future. The prerequisite for this is that there is a risk of mutual infection with Covid-19 due to the nature of the activity or physical contact with other people, for example in offices. In this case, the employer must allow the tests to be conducted on-site or off-site, such as in test lanes. The option of wearing an FFP2 mask as an alternative is eliminated.
Furthermore, as of June 1, pharmacies will be able to issue ten free antigen tests per month - instead of the previous five - to each insured person. The option to perform Covid-19 tests in pharmacies will also be extended until August 31, 2021.
For more information about what measures will apply after the end of the lockdown on May 19, read here.