Austria going into full lockdown.

You beat me to it Frank.

I would clarify that the current lockdown is until 12:01 am Dec. 13. The government stated that if it is extended, they will give 10 days' advance notice. So by Dec. 3, we will know if the lockdown goes on longer.

Notable that kids will still go to school. Shops and restaurants will be closed. I think that everyone here is assuming that the lockdown applies to Christmas markets, but that has not been explicitly stated.

To further clarify, this lockdown applies to all, regardless of vaccination status.

So if you are planning a trip to Austria between today and Dec. 13, I think you won't have much to do or to eat.

We are supposed to fly into Munich (December 20) and out of Vienna (December 29). Is this just a really bad idea now? Am wondering if we should reroute to stay entirely in Germany (although it sounds like a lockdown is also possible there) … or if we should choose a new place to visit (Portugal)? Any thoughts from those of you on the ground in Austria/Germany?

I would probably avoid Germany as well as it looks like lockdowns are on the cards. It would be difficult to suggest an alternative as cases are rising in much of Western Europe however Spain appears to be performing relatively well however when countries use different methods to record cases who knows what the reality is.

The Portuguese government is concerned about rising Covid levels and deaths, although this is lower than many countries and it’s possible that some restrictions could be introduced there before Christmas.

Hungary starts indoor masks tomorrow; this is addition to November 1sts edict requiring masks on the metro; entry requirements remain unchanged as of this morning.

Orban is still saying there are better choices than locking down.

The measures being encouraged by those that disagree with him are still passive by the measures of a lot of countries; actions such as requiring vaccine cards to enter restaurants and movie theaters, and it is a fair guess to believe that would be the extent if Orban caves.

Given that, if I had plans to return to Budapest in the next few weeks .... I would go forward with them if my only concern was lockdown.

Seems like a fair gamble.

I would clarify that the current lockdown is until 12:01 am Dec. 13. The government stated that if it is extended, they will give 10 days' advance notice. So by Dec. 3, we will know if the lockdown goes on longer.

This is the federal mandate, i.e. the minimum measures which all states must adhere to. Every state has the right to impose even stricter rules, as Vienna has done in the past.

The governor of the state of Upper Austria, which includes Linz, Hallstatt, Bad Ischl, St. Wolfgang, St. Gilgen, etc., has already announced that the lockdown in Upper Austria will last until December 17th. This is the result of having the lowest vaccination and the highest infection rate among the population. A possible extension of the lockdown will be evaluated and announced mid December.

The governor of the state of Salzburg, which includes the city Salzburg, refused to commit an end date for the lockdown.

Is it all of Austria or only Vienna? I read somewhere that it does not apply to all areas. I need to know if I need to avoid the entire country. I also need to see if I can get a refund on a non-refundable hotel which will probably not be open by law during this time

This is the federal mandate, i.e. the minimum measures which all states must adhere to.

"All states" means everywhere in Austria.

Thank you so much for the info and clarification.We are planning to fly into Innsbruck the middle of January so this eases my mind for the moment! Fingers crossed that it won’t last not only for us but for the health and safety of the Austrian people.
Donna

Hotels can be open but only for non-tourists. The only place to get legitimate info is from Austria.info, wien.info and the government websites. Now is not the time for “I read somewhere…”

Lockdown in less than two hours. I visited 8 Christmas Markets. Can’t wait to go visit more in December 13.

These leaves me wondering if, in the near future, Austria will be a very safe country to visit? Should we put it on our short list?

I wonder if other countries will follow the precedent that Austria set with making vaccines mandatory.

If you had told me at the start of 2020 that Italy and later most of the developed world would have “lockdowns” I wouldn’t believe it. China was the first to have one I thought no way America would do it. Then Italy did and still I thought we wouldn’t.

It will be safe in Feb 2022 when everyone must be vaccinated.

It will be safe in Feb 2022 when everyone must be vaccinated.

Cross your fingers. Everybody is hoping it.

The mandatory vaccination requires a federal law. That is the reason why it will be effective at such a late day, discussing all the expected issues with all involved parties first. It is unclear how that law can be enforced and what fines will be imposed on anti-vaxxers.