VIENNA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th December, 2020) Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said he was tested for COVID-19 on Monday as part of an ambitious plan to test the entire population to "rescue Christmas."
"Today I not only had an opportunity to get tested at Messe Halle in Vienna, I also got firsthand experience of how this testing is being rolled out," Kurz tweeted.
The chancellor thanked Austrian health workers and encouraged citizens to get tested, too.
Kurz was tested alongside Vienna governor Michael Ludwig. He said the mass testing had exposed some 1,000 infected among 500,000 people screened in the past few days.
Austria said last week that the phased easing of coronavirus restrictions would start Monday.
The PCR testing of the alpine nation's more than 8.8-million population aims to contain the spread of the virus ahead of the Christmas season. The voluntary mass vaccination campaign is scheduled to run from December 4-13 so that even those who test positive can finish the 10-day quarantine before the holidays season.
