• A law that forbids any kind of full- face covering, including Islamic veils such as the niqab or burqa, has come into force in Austria.
• Starting on Sunday, wearing a ski mask off the slopes, a surgical mask outside hospitals and party masks in public is prohibited.
• The law, popularly known as the “Burqa Ban,” is mostly seen as a directed at the dress worn by some ultra- conservative Muslim women.
• Violations carry a possible fine of nearly $180. Police are authorised to use force if people resist showing their faces.
• Only a small number of Muslim women in Austria wear full-face veils, but they have become a target for right-wing groups and political parties.
• France and Belgium have similar laws. 

Source:Hindustan Times