[ad_1]
Austria, one of the European countries that best weathered the first wave of the covid-19 pandemic, announced a stricter lockdown in the face of a large increase in new infections.
The new measures adopted by the Austrian government will go into effect on Tuesday until December 6, reports the EFE agency.
According to the Chancellor of the Central European country, Sebastian Kurz, the objective of these measures is to achieve a “substantial reduction” in infections, reduce hospitalizations and “save” the Christmas holidays for families and companies.
On November 3, the government had already announced a lighter lockdown, which included the closure of restaurants, bars, theaters, concert halls, and universities and schools for students aged 15 and over.
However, the measures, which included a nightly curfew, did not produce the expected effects and infections have increased.
On Friday, Austria recorded a new high of new infections, with 9600 cases, adding four thousand people hospitalized, 560 of them in intensive care.
Last week, the average was 7,000 infections per day and an incidence of 550 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, that is, 11 times higher than the desired value.
The number of deaths from covid-19 exceeds 1600, double than two months ago.
Austria will thus extend the mandatory collection throughout the day, despite numerous exceptions.
All educational institutions will close and operate with distance education whenever possible. Citizens who cannot telecommute can send their children to school.
All nonessential shops and services, such as hair salons, must be closed for the next three weeks, with the exception of supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and post offices.
“If we do not react en masse, there is a risk that infections will continue to increase or remain at a very high level,” Kurz warned, explaining that the goal is to reopen stores and schools on December 7.
The Government also asked all companies and employees to work remotely whenever possible.
For the affected companies, the State will provide considerable financial assistance, with compensation up to a maximum of 80% of the turnover registered in November of last year.
Individual outdoor sports are still allowed, but federated sports and organized competitions, with the exception of professional sports such as football, will be suspended.
On the other hand, Christian churches and other places of worship will remain open and religious ceremonies can be held.
The covid-19 pandemic caused at least 1,305,039 deaths derived from more than 53.4 million cases of infection worldwide, according to a report prepared by the French agency AFP.
In Europe, the highest number of deaths is recorded in the United Kingdom (51,304 deaths, more than 1.3 million cases), followed by Italy (44,139 deaths, more than 1.1 million cases), France (43,892 deaths, around 1, 9 million cases) and Spain (40,769 deaths, more than 1.4 million cases).
[ad_2]
