Austria ended lockdown restrictions for vaccinated people across most of the country on Sunday, three weeks after reimposing strict rules to combat a rising wave of coronavirus infections.
The rules, which vary by region within the country, largely allowed for the reopening of theatres, museums and other cultural and entertainment venues on Sunday. Shops will follow on Monday.
Some regions were reopening restaurants and hotels on Sunday, while others were waiting until later in the month.
In all cases, there will be an 11pm curfew for restaurants, and face masks will still be required on public transport and inside shops and public spaces.
Chancellor Karl Nehammer last week called the move an “opening with a seatbelt”, giving each of Austria’s nine regions the ability to loosen or tighten restrictions based on the local situation.
Unvaccinated people will still be subject to the lockdown restrictions and should remain at home for all but a handful of specific reasons, like buying groceries, going to the doctor or exercising.
Since the start of the lockdown, new case numbers have plummeted in the small Alpine country. On Friday, Austria reported 367.5 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants, down from 1,102.4 on the first day of the lockdown in November.
However, hospital admissions from the virus have not dropped as sharply as new case numbers. There are currently 567 coronavirus patients in intensive care units across the country, only slightly down from 572 on the first day of the lockdown last month.
Austrian officials have stressed that high rates of vaccination are necessary to control the virus.
Just 67.7 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, a relatively low rate for western Europe, and the government has introduced measures to put increasing pressure on unvaccinated individuals to get the vaccine.
Among those measures are a nationwide vaccine mandate, which will go into effect in February for all residents age 14 and over. Those who do not comply will face fines of up to €3,600 .
Tens of thousands have protested across the country in recent weeks, both against the lockdown restrictions and the forthcoming vaccine mandate.
Police said a demonstration in the capital, Vienna, on Saturday drew 44,000 people. — Associated Press