Table 1.
Timeline of measures implemented by the Austrian government during the course of concurrent SARS-CoV-2 infections (adapted from https://www.sozialministerium.at/Informationen-zum-Coronavirus/Coronavirus---Rechtliches.html, accessed on 7 August 2020).
| COVID-19 Relevant Dates in Austria | |
|---|---|
| 25 February | First two cases of SARS-CoV-2 in Innsbruck |
| 27 February | First case of SARS-CoV-2 in Vienna |
| 12 March | First COVID-19-associated death in Austria (at 302 recorded SARS-CoV-2-positive cases) |
| 31 March | Peak (n = 1.110) of concurrently hospitalized COVID-19 patients |
| 3 April | Peak (n = 9.193) of concurrently COVID-19 ill individuals |
| 8 April | Peak (n = 267) of concurrently patients in intensive care (n = 267) |
| 18 April | First day with less than 100 new SARS-CoV-2-positive cases |
| 10 May | Less than 300 patients in hospital care |
| 17 May | Less than 50 patients in intensive care |
| Measures imposed by the Austrian government | |
| 10 March | Temporary ban of indoor events with >100 persons and outdoor events with >500 persons |
| 11 March | Announcement of planned school and university closures (2,3 cases/100,000 population, 206 new cases recorded) |
| 12 March | Universities close |
| 15 March | COVID-19 Law passed (9 cases/100,000 population, 800 cases recorded) |
| 16 March | Shops close (except grocery stores, pharmacies and drugstores) |
| Restaurants allowed to open only until 3 p.m. | |
| Prohibition of visiting public places | |
| 17 March | All bars and restaurants close |
| 18 March | All schools close |
| 20 March | Home office publicly advised for non-essential work |
| 1 April | Compulsory use of face covering/masks over nose/mouth in grocery stores, 1-m distance to be observed |
| 14 April | Compulsory use of face covering/masks over nose and mouth for public transportation and in all shops |
| 15 April | Re-opening of small shops |
| 1 May | Re-opening of larger shops |
| 15 May | Restaurants allowed to open with some restrictions |
| 18 May | Low-graders allowed back to schools |
| 25 May | Stepwise re-opening of schools |
| 29 May | Re-opening of hotels |
| 15 June | Use of face covering/masks over nose and mouth only for public transportation, in pharmacies and healthcare facilities and if 1 m distance is not feasible; restaurants allowed to open until 1 a.m.; easing of travel restrictions for most European countries |