Vienna gifts residents €50 vouchers to eat outside and support local restaurants

In an attempt to bring life back to normal, Vienna has decided to give €50 (INR 4423) vouchers to its residents as an after lockdown treat and also to encourage them to come out and eat. It is one of the many measures that the government of Vienna is taking to support its local restaurants and cafes.

The move was announced by the city’s Mayor Michael Ludwig, wherein he mentioned that all 950000 households in Vienna will get vouchers so that they could go out and eat at the restaurants and cafes. The local eateries need support to get back on their feet after a stringent two-month lockdown triggered by the Coronavirus.
The Mayor also shared the news on his Twitter account and said that Vienna will offer €50 ($54) for every home. According to the announcement, single households will receive €25 while households with several people will get €50 vouchers.

Um die Wiener Gastronomie zu unterstützen, bekommen alles Wr. Haushalte Gastro-Gutscheine - 50€, 25€ für Singlehaushalte. Die Aktion startet im Juni. pic.twitter.com/Orxc30izvC

— Wirtschaftskammer W (@WKOwien) May 13, 2020

These vouchers can be exchanged for cash by the restaurants and cafés, informed the mayor. He also said that €40 million measure is over the central government’s plan to support local restaurants.

Apparently, all the restaurants and local cafes were reopened in Austria on May 16 with several safety guidelines. It included staff covering their mouths and noses all the time and maintaining 3 ft or 1 m distance between tables, with no more than four adults seated together (more are allowed if they belong to the same household). Also, cafes and restaurants will have to shut down at 11 PM.

The food vouchers were made valid from Friday (May 16), the day when catering businesses were allowed to reopen in the city. However, these vouchers are not valid on the bill for alcoholic drinks.