Vienna, May 9 (IANS): Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that the country's border with Germany was expected to open "before summer" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"At present, the infection rates of the coronavirus in Austria are lower than in Germany. Therefore I also assume that the border with Germany will open before the summer," Kurz told the media on Friday.

The Austrian government has almost been in daily contact with its German counterpart, Angela Merkel on the issue, reports Xinhua news agency.

Opening the border was not only important from a tourist point of view, but would also make life a lot easier for many families and business travellers separated or hindered by border controls.

Earlier this week, Austria extended border controls with its neighbouring countries, including Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, the Czech Republic and Slovakia until May 31 due to the coronavirus.

While Austria has 15,774 COVID-19 cases with 614 deaths, Germany has registered 170,588 infections and 7,510 fatalities.