COVID-19 Measures in Vienna: Impact on Public Life
Nothing's the way it was. In order to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the freedom of movement in public spaces has been massively restricted. There are new rules for social contacts, sports fields, events, gastronomy, food supply, municipal supply, public transport, driving cars and dog owners. What remains allowed? What am I still allowed to do, what is no longer allowed?
The most liveable city in the world: What remains allowed? What am I still allowed to do, what is no longer allowed? / Picture: © WienTourismus
All residents should stay in their apartments and avoid unnecessary trips, the ordinance says.
You may only leave your apartments and houses for the following activities:
- Professional work that cannot be postponed
- Urgently needed supplies, for example of food
- Help for other people
- Walks alone or with the family (persons living in a household)
Social contacts should only be maintained with the people with whom one lives together.
Sports fields, playgrounds and other public places may no longer be used or entered.
"The restrictions and space bans are also controlled by the police," says the city administration
Events are prohibited
Events are completely prohibited. No more than five people should meet at any one time at any one place. The only exceptions are those activities that serve to fight the corona virus.
Catering establishments will remain closed
All restaurants, cafés and bars will be closed for the time being.
Exceptions are only made for canteens or the cafeteria in the company or in schools, kindergartens or hospitals. Restaurants in hotels or guesthouses may only serve food to guests.
The food supply remains guaranteed by supermarkets and delivery services.
Local supply and basic needs
Restrictions also apply to shops and service providers as well as leisure and sports facilities.
Shops with goods for basic services remain open:
- Food Retailing
- Drugstores
- Pharmacies
- Medical products and remedies
- Health and care services
- Sale of animal feed
- Agricultural
- Trade petrol stations
- Safety and emergency products & maintenance
- Banks
- Post & Telecommunications
- Delivery services
- Cleaning / Hygiene
- Public transport (reduced)
- Tobacconists & newsstands
- Critical infrastructure maintenance
- Emergency services
Public transport, short-term parking zones and multi-storey car parks
Public transport is not affected by the restrictions.
Trams, bus and underground trains of the Wiener Linien run according to the holiday timetable, i.e. regularly but with longer intervals.
Only the night subway on weekends is omitted, instead night buses are running.
The short term parking zones in the city are abolished, in many parking garages there are cheap tariffs.
Effects on dog owners
According to the provisions of the Animal Protection Act, the dog must be walked.
However, care must be taken to keep social contacts between people to a minimum and to maintain the necessary distance from other people. The Viennese dog zones can be used; here too, distance between people must be maintained.
For dog owners who are in domestic quarantine, the following applies: Dogs may be accompanied by people in quarantine into their own garden. Dogs can be taken out by a dog sitter or placed in a kennel. The hygiene measures to be taken when dogs are physically handed over to the animal sitter by people in quarantine will be determined by the Health Service of the City of Vienna on a case-by-case basis.