Corona traffic light in Austria red almost nationwide: Infections are increasing rapidly – rules are being tightened

The new corona infections in Austria are climbing rapidly. The seven-day incidence nationwide is 313. The highest risk level applies in almost all federal states.

Update from October 29, 10:18 p.m .: On Friday, other Austrian federal states decided on stricter rules for unvaccinated people. Accordingly, people who are not vaccinated are no longer allowed to go to restaurants and bars under certain conditions, as the German press agency reported on Friday evening. Even “free testing” is then no longer possible. In these cases, admission is not permitted, even with a negative test. After Tyrol and Styria, Carinthia and Upper Austria are now also introducing the regulation: Carinthia from November 4th, Upper Austria from November 8th.

First report from October 29th, 5:02 p.m .: Vienna – Almost the entire Austrian map is glowing red. At least when it comes to classifying risk areas. Only the federal states of Vienna and Burgenland are in the orange area. The risk of contracting Corona * is therefore “high” there. All other seven federal states are colored red, which corresponds to a “very high” risk of infection, as the news agency APA reports.

Worrying trend: new corona infections are increasing in Austria

The trend in Austria is clear: the numbers are climbing nationwide. Within the last 24 hours there were 5861 new corona infections and thus significantly more than in the past seven days: On average, the new infections were 4000 cases. In the districts, Melk is currently the front runner in a negative sense. Here the seven-day incidence is 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, as reported by the German Press Agency.

In addition to the seven-day incidence, Austria also assesses the corona situation based on the risk number. This includes other factors, such as age structure and vaccination status. Vienna (81.5) and Burgenland (78.5) are still well below 100 in terms of the risk figure. According to the Austrian traffic light system, there is a high risk of infection above this level. However, a negative trend can also be seen in these two federal states: Burgenland was colored yellow in the previous week and the numbers in Vienna also rose significantly. At 433.4, Salzburg is not only the federal state with the highest seven-day incidence, but also has the worst risk number at 612. At the federal state level, Vorarlberg recorded the greatest negative trend. There the incidence rose by 108 percent in the past 14 days.

Population of over 65s particularly affected

Austria has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Europe. According to the Austrian Ministry of Health, a total of around 64 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. For comparison: In Malta it is currently 96.8 percent, in Portugal 86.9 percent of the total population and almost 98 percent of the population capable of vaccination. This is relevant because the current trend in new infections also affects a particularly vulnerable population group: New infections among the over-65s rose by 61.4 percent in the past 14 days. Around twelve percent of all new infections can be traced back to this population group.

The Austrian government had already presented a three-step plan in September. The then Chancellor Sebastian Kurz had made it clear that a lockdown for vaccinated people was no longer an option. Instead, people who have not been vaccinated must expect more severe restrictions when the intensive care units are used more. In extreme cases, the result is a lockdown for the unvaccinated part of the population. The regulation is also intended to protect winter tourism, which is so important for Austria’s economy.