Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Find out what's going on in Austria on Wednesday with The Local's short roundup of today's news.
Vienna no longer ‘most liveable city’ in the world
Vienna is no longer the most liveable city in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranking in the the “Global Liveability Index”.
After topping the list since 2018, Vienna is now only ranked twelfth for quality of life. The top three cities are the New Zealand port city of Auckland, followed by Osaka in Japan and Adelaide in Australia. The EIU research unit found the coronavirus pandemic led to a global collapse in quality of life in the ranking, particularly affecting cities in Europe, due to lockdowns, a lack of cultural offerings and burdens on the health system.
Only Zurich and Geneva remained in the top ten. The ranking is based on the health system, education, culture and infrastructure along with social security, political stability and the crime rate.
Opposition politicians call for easier access to Austrian citizenship
Austria’s opposition SPÖ party is calling for easier access to Austrian citizenship. The party argues there should be a legal right to citizenship after six years of legal residence and says children born in Austria should automatically receive citizenship, ORF reports.
As The Local has previously reported, Austria has some of the strictest citizenship requirements in Europe. The party also called for federal government fees of (currently €1,115 euros) for naturalisation to be canceled and individual state fees, to be standardised at a correspondingly low level.
READ MORE:
- What you need to know about applying for Austrian citizenship
- How much does it cost to become an Austrian citizen
Will Austrians require a coronavirus booster jab?
The General Director of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), Bernhard Wurzer, is calling for a “national vaccination dialogue”, according to the APA agency.
He says coronavirus booster vaccinations, which will be needed at the latest by next year, should be discussed.
He also discussed the possibility of a national strategy for vaccination rather than different vaccination rules in each of Austria’s nine federal states. He believes the booster jabs should also be given free of charge.
More hurdles for Austria’s Green Pass
Further hurdles remain for the Austria’s "Green Pass”, or electronic certificate showing proof of testing, vaccination or recovery from Covid-19.
As the Local reported yesterday, Austria’s Green Pass is due to be launched at the end of the week, with an EU-compliant QR code.
However, vaccinated persons cannot enter their vaccinations for the time being.
Katharina Reich, Director General for Public Health, told the broadcaster ORF “Report” programme yesterday evening that this should be possible before July 1st, when the EU’s “Green Pass” is due to start.
READ MORE:
- EXPLAINED: What is Austria’s Covid-19 immunity card and how do I get it?
- READ MORE: Austria to launch Covid-19 pass this week
USA relaxes travel warning for Austria
The United States relaxed its travel warning for American citizens to Austria on Tuesday. The alpine state is now on level three of the four-level warning system along with Germany and dozens of other countries.
This means US citizens are only advised to reconsider their travel plans to these countries. For level four countries, which still include several EU states, travel is not recommended at all, broadcaster ORF reports.
The highest warning level still applies to EU countries such as Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland, but also to the neighbouring Austrian countries of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia and Croatia.
There is still a pandemic ban in place on entry to the US for foreigners from the European Schengen area, as well as Great Britain, Ireland, India, China, Brazil, South Africa and Iran unless it can be demonstrated it is in the national interest of the US.
Seven day incidence at 27
The seven-day incidence, or the number of new infections with the coronavirus in the past seven days per 100,000 inhabitants, is 27. All federal states are now under 50 - with Burgenland (10.5) having the lowest and Tyrol (48.2) the highest.
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Vienna no longer ‘most liveable city’ in the world
Vienna is no longer the most liveable city in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranking in the the “Global Liveability Index”.
After topping the list since 2018, Vienna is now only ranked twelfth for quality of life. The top three cities are the New Zealand port city of Auckland, followed by Osaka in Japan and Adelaide in Australia. The EIU research unit found the coronavirus pandemic led to a global collapse in quality of life in the ranking, particularly affecting cities in Europe, due to lockdowns, a lack of cultural offerings and burdens on the health system.
Only Zurich and Geneva remained in the top ten. The ranking is based on the health system, education, culture and infrastructure along with social security, political stability and the crime rate.
Opposition politicians call for easier access to Austrian citizenship
Austria’s opposition SPÖ party is calling for easier access to Austrian citizenship. The party argues there should be a legal right to citizenship after six years of legal residence and says children born in Austria should automatically receive citizenship, ORF reports.
As The Local has previously reported, Austria has some of the strictest citizenship requirements in Europe. The party also called for federal government fees of (currently €1,115 euros) for naturalisation to be canceled and individual state fees, to be standardised at a correspondingly low level.
READ MORE:
- What you need to know about applying for Austrian citizenship
- How much does it cost to become an Austrian citizen
Will Austrians require a coronavirus booster jab?
The General Director of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), Bernhard Wurzer, is calling for a “national vaccination dialogue”, according to the APA agency.
He says coronavirus booster vaccinations, which will be needed at the latest by next year, should be discussed.
He also discussed the possibility of a national strategy for vaccination rather than different vaccination rules in each of Austria’s nine federal states. He believes the booster jabs should also be given free of charge.
More hurdles for Austria’s Green Pass
Further hurdles remain for the Austria’s "Green Pass”, or electronic certificate showing proof of testing, vaccination or recovery from Covid-19.
As the Local reported yesterday, Austria’s Green Pass is due to be launched at the end of the week, with an EU-compliant QR code.
However, vaccinated persons cannot enter their vaccinations for the time being.
Katharina Reich, Director General for Public Health, told the broadcaster ORF “Report” programme yesterday evening that this should be possible before July 1st, when the EU’s “Green Pass” is due to start.
READ MORE:
- EXPLAINED: What is Austria’s Covid-19 immunity card and how do I get it?
- READ MORE: Austria to launch Covid-19 pass this week
USA relaxes travel warning for Austria
The United States relaxed its travel warning for American citizens to Austria on Tuesday. The alpine state is now on level three of the four-level warning system along with Germany and dozens of other countries.
This means US citizens are only advised to reconsider their travel plans to these countries. For level four countries, which still include several EU states, travel is not recommended at all, broadcaster ORF reports.
The highest warning level still applies to EU countries such as Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland, but also to the neighbouring Austrian countries of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia and Croatia.
There is still a pandemic ban in place on entry to the US for foreigners from the European Schengen area, as well as Great Britain, Ireland, India, China, Brazil, South Africa and Iran unless it can be demonstrated it is in the national interest of the US.
Seven day incidence at 27
The seven-day incidence, or the number of new infections with the coronavirus in the past seven days per 100,000 inhabitants, is 27. All federal states are now under 50 - with Burgenland (10.5) having the lowest and Tyrol (48.2) the highest.
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