6 April 2020

(At the beginning of the 4th week of the lockdown in Austria): Easter will be celebrated like never before

Today at the beginning of the 4th week of the lockdown due to the Covid-19 crisis, the Austrian government presented the strategies for easing the measures. It's planned to open small stores (up to 400 square meters) after Easter on 14 April. The amount of customers in a store will be limited and it will be obligatory to wear masks. From May, larger stores, malls and hair dressers are allowed to continue their business. Gastronomy will probably open for guests in mid-May; take-away is already possible.

But the plan isn't fix. In the case that the curve shows a negative direction - means when the percentages of new infections, people in hospitals, intensive care or deaths per day begin to grow, the government could change the schedule. So, the Easter week is literally crucial for the resurrection of the economy. #StayHome is the motto!

Going out to a restaurant or celebrating Easter with the wider family, with aunts and nephews, etc. has to be postponed to 2021. Perhaps 2020 is already historically the year of family live video streams for staying connected with parents and grandparents.

Image: The Viennese café, patisserie chain Aida has closed like all other Austrian stores (except groceries or apothecaries) and gastronomy locations due to the coronavirus crisis. Aida announces to donate the whole range of Easter chocolates to Viennese children's and old people's homes. At the press release, the company points out that the handover takes place without contact.
Photo: © AÏDA.