Can you even begin to trust the information given by Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP), Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) and Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) during their regular joint press conferences? All four have emphasized that the “Christmas Entry Regulation” should apply up to and including January 10, 2021. When the regulation was available a few days before it came into force, many were amazed: There was nothing to be read from January 10, 2021.

Rather, in the text signed by Rudolf Anschober, March 31, 2021 is to be read as the expiration date. The same date can also be found in the information that the Ministry of Health sent to airlines and ground handlers. In the NOTAM, which is binding for aviation, March 15, 2021 is named as the "expiry date". So there are three different dates circulating how long the "anti-Christmas regulation" should apply.

Then it's just the icing on the cake that the Anschober Ministry, which otherwise answers questions at almost the speed of light, did not respond to questions at all. The Ministry of Health was asked, among other things, whether the ordinance - as announced by the Federal Chancellor, Interior Minister, Vice Chancellor and Health Minister - will apply until January 10, 2021 and what will actually come after that. There were no answers, however.

There should be a very good reason for this, because meanwhile the Austrian government does not want to have anything to do with a “Christmas ordinance”, but wants to tighten the massively controversial ordinance again. Specifically, this means: A new text is to be published next week and travelers have to be prepared for additional harassment. According to Interior Minister Karl Nehammer, going on a trip would incur an administrative penalty anyway, because this would not be covered by the “exceptions” to the exit restrictions. Why is there any need for tightening, because according to this logic, practically no one should enter the country anyway?

According to the current state of information, Annex A of the Covid Entry Ordinance will be updated next week. This means that the list of "quarantine-free states" will be revised. It is currently not known which countries will be added or removed. For all other countries, one wants to keep the forced quarantine - unless one falls under an exception. The “free test” should continue to be possible after five days at the earliest and at your own expense. After all: the much cheaper antigen tests are also recognized.

Austria insidiously calls the “entry form” simply “quarantine obligation”. With the signature you commit yourself to voluntary seclusion, so that an official decision is not necessary at all. From circles of the Ministry of Health it is heard that the idea that Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced in a subordinate clause in the summer will be taken up again: In future, entry into Austria must be registered online. The aim is to end the paper mess and at the same time, at least officially, to make contact tracing easier. It is currently completely unclear who will have access to the data.

Absurd: Austria currently does not allow people from “risk areas”, i.e. almost all countries, to fill out Passenger Locator Forms. This was abolished with the "Christmas Ordinance". Under the guise of "contact tracing", an "electronic entry registration" is being planned based on the model in Germany. Greece was the first EU country to introduce electronic PLFs. But they are also PLFs. Why Austria is currently not having Passenger Locator Forms filled out, but rather "quarantine obligations", no one wanted to answer on the part of the Ministry. A date for the commissioning of the electronic "entry registrations" has not yet been set.