VIENNA, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Austria on Tuesday introduced a compulsory requirement that poultry be kept in covered stalls, as the country declared to be an area of increased risk of bird-flu virus, the local newspaper Krone reported.
Following confirmed cases of the A(H5N8)-virus subtype in the country, the cover restriction for poultry has come into force for both commercial and private poultry owners, along with stricter hygiene regulations.
The precautionary measures had previously been in place in certain regions, but were decided to expand to nationwide level after a meeting of state and federal government officials as well as experts.
According to the report, Austria has confirmed about 50 cases of the virus in recent months, while over 700 have been reported across Europe with almost all EU member states now affected.
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