Austria set to be first in Europe to reopen

Austria plans to let non-essential shops of up to 400 square metres as well as all DIY shops and garden centres to reopen on Tuesday, and becoming the first Western country to attempt to reopen its economy since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Austria, locked down since March 16, is among a small number of European countries that have declared plans to ease regulations on social life, transport and cross-border travel.

Smaller stores in the country are likely to return on Tuesday. Shopping malls, hairdressers and larger stores should reopen from May 1, though the plan could change if infections accelerate. Restaurants and hotels could open step by step from mid-May, although details have yet to be announced.

As the country, governed by right-wing Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, is scheduling to resume its economic activity amid reports that it likely had at least twice as many new coronavirus infections than officially reported.

The SORA institute-led study found that 0.32% of those surveyed in the first week of April tested positive for the new coronavirus, with more than three per 1,000 people thought to have caught the virus.

The result means some 28,500 of Austria’s close to 9 million people were likely affected, the institute said, related to the official statistic of up to 12,200 coronavirus diseases for that April week.

The total of infections stood at more than 13,000 on Friday, of which 7,021 were active. A total of 319 people have died.