Austria went into a nationwide lockdown early Monday in a desperate effort to contain spiraling coronavirus infections.
ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jen offers her advice on how to best protect yourself and others against COVID-19 while traveling this holiday season.VIENNA -- After indulging in one last night out, Austrians awoke groggily Monday to their fourth national lockdown of this pandemic, cutting short aIn the capital, Vienna, people headed to work, brought children to school or exercised outdoors, more or less normally.
The government announced a 10-day nationwide lockdown on Friday as the average daily COVID-19 deaths tripled in recent weeks and hospitals in hard-hit states warned that intensive care units were hitting capacity. It also pledged to be the first European country to mandateUnder the lockdown, people can leave their homes only for specific reasons, including buying groceries, going to the doctor or exercising.
Barbara Kier, a singer and voice-over actor, was there for her booster shot, but said her 57-year-old mother was still unpersuaded to get her first. “It is a situation where we have to react now. The only way is with a lockdown, a relatively hard method, to lower the numbers with a wooden hammer,’’ Mueckstein told national broadcaster ORF.
Still, many business owners feared the pre-lockdown boost would not be enough to salvage their holiday season.