Austria's dance floors set to reopen

Austria said on Thursday (Jun 17) that partygoers will be permitted to hit the dance floor again in July as nightclubs reopen after an extended pause induced by COVID-19, consistent with a broader easing of measures.

Medical-grade masks also no more should be worn anywhere aside from hospitals, with regular mouth-and-nose coverings once more allowed on public transport, in shops and other indoor places.

"The situation is much better than expected," Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told reporters, although he cautioned that persons should get the vaccine and not become "overconfident" until they are immunized. Crowd numbers won't be restricted at events, where people need not keep their distance or wear face coverings anymore. A midnight curfew will also be lifted from Jul 1, allowing for nightlife to come back. The only rule that remains is that those that attend an event, visit a nightclub or eat in a restaurant must show proof either having received at least one vaccination shot a lot more than three weeks ago, recovered from COVID-19 or tested negative. Nightclubs closed in March last year as the pandemic spread through Europe, and were among the few venues that mostly stayed shut last summer during a lull in new cases.

The Alpine European Union member of almost 9 million persons has reported a lot more than 649,000 cases to date with some 10,670 deaths. Almost half of the populace has recently received at least one shot, while a quarter is fully vaccinated.