The government in Vienna eases the measures in the fight against the corona virus after Easter. However, the process should take place gradually.
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Relaxation in the neighboring country? Sebastian Kurz has informed the public.
(Keystone / Roland Schlager)
From April 14, Austria wants to gradually ease the conditions imposed due to the corona crisis. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced on Monday in Vienna that on Tuesday after Easter shops with an area of up to 400 square meters as well as DIY and garden centers will reopen. From May 1, all shops, shopping centers and hairdressers should start operating again. It will be decided at the end of April whether this will happen. The exit restrictions should also apply for this long. Schools should remain closed until mid-May, restaurants and hotels should gradually reopen from mid-May. Events have been canceled until at least the end of June.
Kurz also appealed to comply with the existing requirements. Social contacts should be avoided and distance kept. Easter should only be celebrated with people who lived in the household. It is now time to hold out, “even if it is difficult,” said the Chancellor. “So far, we have weathered the crisis better than most other countries.” Austria had the chance that it would stay that way.
However, if the requirements are not met, the disease can spread faster again. According to current figures from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control ECDC, 11,766 people have been infected with the virus in Austria so far, 186 people have died.
This makes Austria one of the first European countries to loosen up its measures in the fight against the corona virus right after Easter. In Denmark, too, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has announced that he will probably want to gradually reopen the country after Easter. However, she has not yet presented a precise plan.
Sharp criticism after statement about freedom of travel
Kurz had given interviews to several media over the weekend. He made it clear that retailers in particular can hope for easing soon. Large events, on the other hand, will probably not be possible until much later. Briefly stressed that the way back to normal must be gradual. His statement was sharply criticized that until the development of a vaccination or therapy against the coronavirus “there will be no freedom of travel as we have known it”.
Austria has been running minimally since March 16: Many shops are closed, all restaurants and bars are also closed. In addition, exit restrictions apply. Finally, however, it became clear that these measures were effective: the number of confirmed infections with Sars-CoV-2 only increased slowly recently, and the number of Covid 19 patients in the intensive care units stagnated.
(REUTERS / SDA / fal)
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