Customers wearing face masks waited in lines outside hardware and home-improvement stores across Austria on Tuesday, businesses that were among the first allowed to open their doors as part of initial steps to restart the country’s economy.
The easing of restrictions were the first since Chancellor Sebastian Kurz ordered all stores not deemed essential to shut last month as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the Alpine nation, where 14,041 people have been infected with the virus and 368 have died.
Customers wearing face masks waited in lines outside hardware and home-improvement stores across Austria on Tuesday, businesses that were among the first allowed to open their doors as part of initial steps to restart the country’s economy.
The easing of restrictions were the first since Chancellor Sebastian Kurz ordered all stores not deemed essential to shut last month as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the Alpine nation, where 14,041 people have been infected with the virus and 368 have died.
“I urge everyone to take the security measures of this first step of reopening seriously and uphold the regulations of entering shops, maintaining a distance, wearing a protective covering over their mouth and nose, which is also required in public transport,” he said during a Monday news conference.
Shops of 400 square meters, around 4,300 square feet, or less, hardware stores and gardening centers were allowed to reopen, but shoppers are required to wear a mask or covering over their faces and noses and maintain a distance from one another.
The stores are only allowed to admit a limited number of customers at a time and those found in violation of the regulations face fines of 3,600 euros, or around $3,940. Shopping centers are not allowed to reopen until May 2.
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