The decision to take extreme measures was made amid a constantly increasing number of new cases, despite the "soft" lockdown in force since November 3.

The Austrian authorities have expressed concern that at this pace, the health care system will not survive.

As of Monday morning, the number of registered COVID-19 cases in Austria since the pandemic start was 208,613, with 1,887 deaths and 129,671 recoveries.

Over the last day, 4,657 new cases were recorded. At the moment, 4,297 people are hospitalized, of whom 612 are in intensive care.