Austria re-opens some shops as first step towards “new normal”

Small shops and hardware stores in Austria re-opened on Tuesday as the first step towards a “new normal” amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

As of Tuesday morning, shops of up to 400 square meters and hardware stores in the Alpine country have re-opened under strict precautionary measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing.

“We are on track,” Kurz announced to the media on Tuesday morning.

“The numbers of new infections and of hospitalisations are going in the right direction.”

The population have endured “incredible privations” in the past few weeks with “discipline and perseverance,” which makes it possible for the government to take the first step towards a “new normal,” and to “get a little bit closer to the life we were used to in Austria,” said Kurz.

“Our approach in the coming months will be clear: as much freedom as possible, as much restriction as necessary,” he noted, adding “Should the numbers develop in the wrong direction, we will pull the emergency brake.”