Austria's chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, has said he is following Asian countries in introducing stricter measures to fight COVID-19, adding that the example of Wuhan in China shows the virus can be beaten.

New rules ordering shoppers to cover their mouths were inspired by practices in Asian countries, where the virus hit first, Kurz explained during an interview with the ORF television network.

"What is true – and we learned this from the Asians – is that if everyone covers their mouth and nose, this means that it is less easy to cough or sneeze at someone else," Kurz said. "The devilish thing about this disease is that it is more contagious than the flu, and that many people don't know they are sick because it takes a long time for the symptoms to begin."

Protective masks have begun to be distributed free of cost outside Austrian supermarkets, although difficulties in procuring enough masks has delayed the rollout of the program. Kurz emphasized that the masks were not intended to protect the wearer, but primarily to prevent people carrying the virus, especially those who don't know they're sick, from infecting other people.

"It is important to understand this," Kurz said. "The mask, or covering of the mouth and nose – it can also be a cloth or scarf – does not protect you, but if everyone participates, then it will have an effect on the overall situation."

Kurz said he understood that wearing masks was culturally unfamiliar but that it was necessary given the circumstances.

Austria, which shares a border with Italy, has one of the highest rates of confirmed infections in Europe, although the death rate remains lower than in countries such as Spain and Italy. The Austrian region of Tyrol, a major skiing destination, was recently declared a high-risk area by Germany's Robert Koch Institut and is believed to have helped the virus spread to other parts of Europe.

Kurz said that Austrians with the coronavirus were infecting on average around two other people at the moment, leading to a steady rise in cases.  

'Positive signals'

Kurz also said the dramatic situation called for the increased use of technological tools such as mobile phone location data to prevent infections, downplaying concerns about privacy.

Austria has already closed schools and non-essential shops and Kurz didn't say when these and other restrictions might be lifted. However, he pointed to the example of the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak began in December, as an example of a successful approach to combating the virus.

"There are also positive signals – let's take a look at Wuhan," Kurz said. "At the beginning of the year, it was a doomsday scenario, but since then, borders have opened, access to other regions has opened, and there's a de facto eradication of the virus in Wuhan. They still have to persevere, but these are signs that it can work. But it is not easy. It cannot be done overnight. And it is connected with extreme sacrifices."

Slovakia, Czechia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are the only other countries in Europe that currently require the use of masks.