Austria and Denmark are first to announce easing of coronavirus lockdowns
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz credited his country’s early response [to the virus]; it imposed a national lockdown on March 16, earlier than some of its neighbours. “We reacted faster and more restrictively in Austria than in other countries and were therefore able to prevent the worst from happening so far...” Austria has seen three consecutive days in which the number of coronavirus recoveries have exceeded the number of new cases.
Denmark also imposed its lockdown relatively early, on March 11, and invested in widespread testing. Announcing the plan for lifting restrictions, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, “It’s like walking on a line. If we stand still along the way, we can fall. If we go too fast, things can go wrong. Therefore, we must take one cautious step at a time. And we do not yet know when we have firm ground under our feet.”
Read here (Washington Post, April 7, 2020)
