By V4 Agency
As the number of coronavirus infections is on a steep rise even despite the pandemic-related restrictions, Austria has announced a three-week nationwide lockdown, closing down all shops and schools and introducing a 24-hour curfew. The details were announced by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Health MInister Rudolf Anschober during a press briefing late on Sautday afternoon.
Austria is to introduce significantly stricter pandemic-related restrictions. The measure was taken because coronavirus infection rates are not decreasing by the desired amount, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced at a press briefing on Saturday.
According to the new measures:
- schools and shops will be closed
- the curfew has been extended for the entire day. People may only leave their homes in an emergency or for essential purposes, such as commuting to work, helping relatives, or getting physical exercise
- non-essential services, including hair salons, will be shut down. However, supermarkets, drugstores, pharmacies and banks will remain open
- personal contact will be limited to close individual relatives or caregivers
- workplaces are to continue in a home office set-up where it is possible
The new regulations go into effect Monday at midnight, with the expressed goal of being able to restart schools and retailers on 7 December, the Chancellor said.
Mr Kurz also explained that contact tracing is no longer possible and that the number of infected cases continues to rise exponentially in some areas, citing Upper Austria as an example.
He said under the current circumstances each and every “social contact is one too many.”
In Austria, catering and hospitality, touristic and cultural venues and leisure facilities were shut down on 3 November, and a night time curfew between 8 pm and 6 am had already been in place.
Since early November the number of Covid-19 infections has been on a continuous rise. On Friday the number of newly diagnosed cases per 100 thousand population for a seven-day period climbed to 554.2.
In anticipation of the new restrictions Austrians flocked to the various shopping centers with huge queues forming outside the shop and stores.