Vienna, March 7 Thirteen new cases of coronavirus infections were reported in Austria on Friday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 55, said health authorities.
A total of 23 cases were registered in the federal capital, 15 in Lower Austria, five each in Salzburg and Styria, four in Tyrol, and one each in Vorarlberg, Carinthia and Upper Austria, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Out of the nine federal states, only Burgenland has no confirmed case yet.
According to the ministry's website, some 4,000 tests had been carried out across the country by Friday afternoon.
Several schools had to be closed in the country due to confirmed or suspected cases.
Austrian government is preparing for short-time work due to the coronavirus, according to Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
"We act with bridging aids for small and medium-sized companies, credit guarantees and, above all, with the instrument of short-time work for larger companies," Kurz told the Austrian Press Agency (APA) on Friday.
Short-time work (STW) is defined in a 2010 European Commission report as a temporary reduction in working time intended to maintain an existing employer/employee relationship.
Austria has a stable economic development, "but as expected, there are some industries and individual companies particularly affected by the effects of the coronavirus," said Kurz, citing aviation, the timber industry in Carinthia and tourism as examples.
( With inputs from IANS )