Austria bans gatherings of any more than five people

Other countries are beginning to take very stringent measures to battle coronavirus.

Yesterday, it was announced that Spain was on almost complete lockdown and that flights from the United Kingdom had turned back mid-flight. Similarly, the United States confirmed that the UK and Ireland had been added to their travel ban. Earlier today, the UK confirmed that it would eventually be asking everyone over 70 to self-isolate for four months. Austria has also clamped down on public gatherings, issuing a ban on groups of over five people. The Chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz, announced the measure while adding the UK, the Netherlands, Russia and Ukraine to a list of countries, entry to whose citizens is restricted. Much like in Ireland, Austria has opted to close its schools and many other private and public facilities. Ireland has closed its schools, colleges and public facilities - and many privates businesses have also chosen to close their doors. However, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is now exploring emergency powers to order the shut down of pubs, after many pubs this weekend disobeyed the mass gathering rules laid out last week. Austria has currently registered 655 cases of coronavirus and one death.