2G-plus and Make Up Yourself: ORF’s Tightened Rules from Tuesday…

The home office is being expanded again, and access to commercial premises is still only possible with 2G-plus. Supervisors and studio guests are no longer provided with makeup artists.

The ORF is tightening the rules for employees in light of the more contagious Omikron variant. The company relies heavily on home offices—particularly for unvaccinated employees. This stems from an internal communication from General Manager Roland Weißmann, received by the APA. Entry to ORF operating sites is still “possible under the 2G-plus rule”. The package of measures will enter into force at midnight on Tuesday.

According to the announcement, the home office will be carried out “smoothly” for all employees after the conclusion of a corresponding agreement, who on the one hand can carry out their work outside the commercial premises and on the other hand “is not mandatory … you need to remain in the workplace in order to maintain operations – and have the ability to production and broadcasting. For those who do not agree to the agreement, special regulations can be drawn up in coordination with Group Security and the Human Resources Department – for example in the form of additional requirements.

The letter said that unvaccinated employees “spend their service time in the home office until further notice.” There are no exceptions for people who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons, “because these people … do not have any vaccination protection required for the ‘2G+’ concept of protection”.

In addition to requiring a mask to be worn at ORF operating sites, to minimize physical contact as possible and limit meetings, the 2G-plus rule was noted. So access is only granted to people who have been vaccinated or have recovered and can also submit a current negative PCR test. All those who cannot meet this requirement are “employed to increase operational security in the home office”. In “sensitive areas,” negative tests must be checked by agency administrators. This also applies to “all external guests”.

Omikron’s package of measures also means moderators and studio guests will have to lay off in-house makeup artists from Tuesday due to the increased risk of infection. “Self-sufficiency is presented in a convenient form,” promises ORF.

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