Many shops reopen in Austria

Many Austrian shops have been able to reopen under strict conditions, with the country among the first in Europe to ease coronavirus restrictions following four weeks of shutdown.

Small retailers such as bookshops and boutiques, as well as garden centres and hardware stores, were allowed to reopen their doors on Tuesday - provided they follow strict hygiene rules.

Among other things, customers must wear face masks and use a shopping trolley to maintain their distance from one another, limiting the number of people who can enter a shop. Long queues formed outside some DIY stores before they opened.

The use of face masks is also mandatory for travel on public transport, where passengers must respect social distancing rules.

Around 80 per cent of Austria's independent retailers stand to benefit from the gradual loosening of measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, with 4500 shops set to reopen in Vienna alone. Opening hours are restricted to 7.40am until 7 pm.

Retailers that allow in too many customers can face fines of up to 3600 euros ($A6180).

Austria has fared better than many other countries in the current coronavirus outbreak. Infection numbers are relatively low, with a high recovery rate. Hospital capacities have not been exhausted by patients with Covid-19, the potentially fatal disease caused by the virus.