Vienna, Nov. 20, (dpa/GNA) – Mass-testing for the corona virus in Austria will be rolled out in two waves in December and January to prevent further lockdowns, the government announced on Friday.
“A few minutes of testing can prevent several weeks of lockdown for the entire country,” Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said in a statement.
“We will be able to pinpoint a high number of infected persons quickly, and we will be able to break infection chains,” he added.
Seven million antigen tests that produce results within minutes have been ordered for the country of 8.9 million people.
Testing will start with school and daycare teachers on December 5 and 6, when Austria is scheduled to end its current second shutdown phase.
Police officers will be tested next, followed by a phase of voluntary testing for the entire population.
GNA