INVESTIGATION – Several factors explain the low spread of the virus in Austria and the countries of the East.
By Myriam detruy
Austria, which began its first phase of deconfinement on April 14, authorized the reopening of all shops last Saturday. ALEX HALADA / AFP
Since April 14, the Austrians have recovered the beginning of a “life before” the coronavirus. Mask pressed against the face, they can again go to shops, the hairdresser and, from next Friday, in bars or restaurants. Graduates returned to class on Monday to prepare a lighter version of their exam. The rest of the schoolchildren will resume, by age, between mid-May and early June.
Epidemiological statistics have not rebounded. They have never been very high since the first case appeared in late February. Further east, the picture is the same: from Poland to Bulgaria, the countries of central Europe seem to have controlled the spread of the virus among their population. Some, like Austria, have started a schedule of deconfinement.
“In this region, the disease did not arrive and spread in the same way as in southern Europe, says Thomas Czypionka, researcher specializing in public health
