For information only – not an official document
UNIS/VIC/323
19 November 2021
VIENNA, 19 November (UN Information Service) – The following message was sent on Friday to personnel at the Vienna International Centre by the Executive Heads of the main VIC-based organizations:
The COVID-19 situation in Austria and across the region is deeply concerning.
Our Host Country announced on Friday that a nationwide lockdown will begin on Monday, 22 November 2021, and last for up to 20 days.
Your safety and well-being, and that of your families, remain our top priority, and we have decided to take further measures to reduce risks and play our part in easing the pressure on Austria’s health system.
Bearing in mind the measures announced by the Austrian authorities and the advice from the Vienna International Centre (VIC) Medical Service, presence at the VIC will be reduced, in accordance with each individual organization’s mandate and operational needs, by using teleworking where possible from Monday 22 November 2021 until Friday 10 December 2021.
Whenever possible, meetings and conferences will be conducted fully virtually or in hybrid mode.
We strongly recommend that all those who have not yet done so and are eligible get vaccinated as soon as possible. This will help to protect you and those around you.
All those eligible for booster shots should get them as soon as possible. The City of Vienna provides these free of charge.
We encourage you to take regular PCR tests, which are available free of charge.
We urge you to stay healthy and safe, taking care of yourself and those around you as we enter the holiday season.
Ghada Waly, Designated Official for Austria, Director-General/Executive Director, United Nations Office at Vienna/United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency
LI Yong, Director General, United Nations Industrial Development Organization
Robert Floyd, Executive Secretary, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
*The four main VBOs are the United Nations Office at Vienna/UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN Industrial Development Organization and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.
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For further information, please contact:
Martin Nesirky
Director, UNIS Vienna
Mobile: (+43-699) 1459-5676
Email: martin.nesirky[at]un.org
Follow @UN_Vienna on Twitter for updates
