Formally, the Austrian “lockdown” would have expired on Tuesday. The main committee of the National Council decided on Monday, with the votes of the ÖVP and the Greens, to extend the entry bans and exit restrictions until Sunday for the time being. What is new is that negative PCR results in Germany can in future be used as an "entry ticket" for 72 hours.

According to the amendment to the ordinance submitted by Minister of Health Rudolf Anschober, a confirmed negative antigen test or a negative PCR test are recognized as test evidence, whereby antigen tests may be a maximum of 48 hours and molecular biological tests a maximum of 72 hours old. This extended validity regulation will in future also apply to visits to old people's and nursing homes as well as to the use of body-friendly services such as visits to the hairdresser.

Those who have recovered are now worse off

However, people who have survived Covid 19 disease will be worse off in the future. From now on, evidence of recovery will only be recognized for three months. So far, this has been the case for half a year. Either confirmations of recovery, positive antibody tests or separation notices due to an officially established COVID-19 infection can be presented, but only for a maximum of three months. After that, the papers are de facto worthless.

The opposition heavily criticized the government's decisions and unanimously refused to approve. Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) justified the decision regarding recovered persons with the fact that scientific findings were the basis. Which, however, he did not say.

Anschober left open which easing steps there will be from Monday, especially in Vorarlberg. He could "not yet present anything in detail, we are in the middle of the work process," he said. The fact is, however, that Vorarlberg's decoupling from the federal level has even increased recently. The situation there “has been constant and stable for four weeks”, he hopes it will stay that way.