Austria on Sunday extended its third COVID-19 lockdown into February, hoping to drive down infection rates despite an influx of variants that spread the coronavirus more easily, Reuters reported.
The goal is to let shops, museums, and personal services like hairdressers reopen from February 8, while the catering and tourism sectors will stay shuttered until at least March.
“We have two to three hard months ahead of us,” Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told a news conference.
The Chancellor, however, left open the prospect of extending the lockdown if case numbers remain stubbornly high. 
“At a time of a pandemic there are no guarantees,” he said.
The government said people should work from home where possible, doubled to two meters the distance people must stay away from others, and instructed the population to wear FFP2 masks in stores and on public transport from January 25.