Austria’s unvaccinated face tough national lockdown
Austria has announced a sweeping nationwide lockdown for people who are not fully vaccinated beginning from midnight.
The move prohibits some 2m unvaccinated people from leaving their homes except for basic activities such as working, grocery shopping, going for a walk or getting vaccinated.
Austria has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Europe, with just 65 per cent of the population fully vaccinated, while its seven day infection rate is one of the highest in the region at 800 cases per 100,000 people.
“It’s our job as the government of Austria to protect the people,” Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg told reporters in Vienna on Sunday. “Therefore we decided that starting Monday … there will be a lockdown for the unvaccinated.”
The lockdown will initially last for 10 days with police patrolling the streets to make sure people outside are vaccinated. If they are not vaccinated people can be fined up to €1,450 (£1,237) for violating the restrictions.
The lockdown affects 2m people out of a population of 8.9m, but does not apply to children under 12 who are not yet eligible for vaccines.
It comes amid concerns about rising infections and deaths and that soon hospital staff will no longer be able to handle the growing influx of COVID-19 patients.
Schallenberg pointed out that while the seven-day infection rate for vaccinated people has been falling in recent days, the rate is rising quickly for the unvaccinated. “The rate for the unvaccinated is at over 1,700, while for the vaccinated it is at 383,” the chancellor said.
Schallenberg also called on people who have been vaccinated to get their booster shot, saying that otherwise “we will never get out of this vicious circle.”
Austria today reported 11,552 new cases and 17 new deaths taking the country’s total to 11,706.
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