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The Austrian government announced this Saturday that the country enters a new period of the so-called partial quarantine on Tuesday, November 3, in which non-essential activities are suspended, in an attempt to curb the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be traffic bans and restaurants, hotels, cultural and sports institutions will be closed. Parties, including weddings, are prohibited.
“A second isolation will be established from Tuesday to the end of November“Announced Conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz at a press conference, reports Agerpres. Social life will be affected” dramatically “, the Chancellor warned. He said he hoped to return to a more normal life and” more freedom “in December, given the end of the year vacations.
Parties, weddings, Christmas fairs are prohibited
So for now, it will be It is forbidden to leave the houses between 20:00 and 06:00, and private meetings will be limited to maximum two families.
Beyond the closure of museums, theaters, cinemas or swimming pools, all events, except for funerals, are canceled, including weddings, birthday parties, and holiday fairs, a tradition that generally draws millions of visitors each year to the country, writes AFP.
Catering and tourism companies immediately criticized these new measures, demanding financial aid, while resignation seems to dominate the population. According to Reuters, companies forced to close will receive 80% of the sales they registered in the same period last year.
Fans cannot participate in sports events High-level and amateur sports can only be performed outdoors and without physical contact.
Schools and kindergartens remain open
As in the UK, unlike spring measurements, schools and kindergartens will remain open.
Yes high schools and universities, courses will be conducted onlinewhile telecommuting is strongly recommended.
By contrast, unlike the UK and other countries that have adopted restrictions, Austria shops and hairdressers and barber shops remain open.
The measures must be approved by parliament on Sunday, but for the traffic ban, parliament will have to give its consent every ten days, writes dpa.
The measures adopted by Austria are very similar to those established by neighboring Germany, although the epidemiological situation in Austria is more serious.
Austria, worrying evolution of COVID cases
Austria, which has been relatively spared from the first wave of the pandemic, has seen an explosion in the number of infections in recent weeks. The country of 8.8 million people now has more than 5,000 cases a day, up from 1,000 in early October, and hospitals are facing a growing influx of patients. 1,109 deaths have been reported since the pandemic broke out. On Saturday, Austria reported 5,349 new cases in the past 24 hours, after announcing a record 5,627 on Friday.
“If we do not act now, the intensive care units will be saturated,” warned the chancellor. He says a trend reversal is expected after “no more than 7 to 14 days”.
The head of government had previously said that he wanted to “do everything possible to avoid further isolation” after the spring restrictions that pushed the economy into recession, but had to take these new measures in the face of the rapidly deteriorating situation of Health.
In the past two weeks, Austria has recorded as many cases as the United Kingdom or Italy, countries with a population of about 60 million, according to the ECDC. In the last week there has been a rapid acceleration, with a jump of 26% from Thursday to Friday.
Editor: Luana Pavaluca
