Austria to start reopening shops

VIENNA (Reuters): Austria’s conservative-led government plans to start reopening shops from next week in an initial loosening of its coronavirus lockdown as it said the country was turning a corner, while widening a requirement to wear face masks. Austria has been on lockdown for three weeks, closing schools, bars, restaurants, theatres, non-essential shops and other gathering places. The public have been told to stay at home and work from there if possible.

The lockdown has brought the daily increase in infections to single digits in percentage terms and the number of people in hospital has stabilised. But conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said only last week that intensive-care capacity could be exceeded as early as mid-April.