Austria: Coronavirus Behind Closed Borders

My roommates wake me up at 3am. This in itself is not unusual. In the eight months I have lived in Vienna during my gap year , I have adapted to the irregular sleeping patterns of my 20-something flatmates. What is unexpected, when I stumble out of bed to ask what’s happening, is the reason behind the ruckus: “We’re leaving. They’re closing the border.” Four hours later, I find myself the sole inhabitant of a Viennese apartment. My ex-roommates are already somewhere over the Atlantic, having booked the first U.S.-bound flight they could find. Meanwhile, I’m pulling up youtube clips of the news briefing that spurred their panic.