VIENNA: Austria’s parliament on Thursday approved making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for adults from next month, becoming the first European country to do so despite a wave of protests against the measure.
Thousands have demonstrated against compulsory vaccination at regular weekend rallies since the measure was announced in November to boost the country’s vaccination rate.
All parties, except the far-right, supported the measure, with 137 votes in favor of the new law and 33 against it in the 183-seat parliament.
“It is (necessarily) adopted with a majority,” said Doris Burroughs, the second president of National Council, said.
To date, 72 percent of Austrian residents have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus – in line with the EU-wide average, just over 70 percent, but several percent below regional neighbors such as Italy and France.
Under the new law, which takes effect on February 4, those caught against the jab could be fined up to 3,600 euros ($4,100) from mid-March after an initial “preliminary phase”.
The government initially wanted to cover everyone aged 14 and above, but now the measure only applies to adults, except pregnant women and those with medical exemptions.
charged argument
An overwhelming majority of lawmakers from all parties voted in favor of the law, with leaders of the opposition Social Democrats (SPOE) and liberal NEOS extending their support to the centre-right coalition.
The only significant opposition came from the far-right Freedom Party (FPOE), which has attracted anti-vaccination voters.
FPOE leader herbert kickley Raids against the law in a charged parliamentary debate on Thursday, claiming it “paves the way for totalitarianism in Austria”.
He vowed that he himself would continue to refuse vaccinations in defiance of the new law.
“Vaccination is an opportunity for our society to achieve lasting and continued freedom, because the virus cannot restrict us any more,” said centre-right chancellor. Karl Nehmer told reporters before the debate.
Green Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein appealed during the debate to “question the myths about vaccination for all citizens” that “all evidence indicates that the vaccines available in Austria are safe”.
safety zone
Although some Austrians are convinced of the merits of vaccination, a few hundred opponents of the law gathered near parliament on Thursday morning to noisy.
Teacher Kerstin said she thought the law was against the Constitution and overlooked the fact that “we are for some basic rights”.
Others present said that very few studies had been done on the long-term effects of jabs and that they would oppose paying any potential fines.
On Wednesday, the government announced it was setting up “safety zones” around health facilities and vaccination centers so that police could turn anyone away, including protesters, from “causing difficulty.”
To encourage those who are still stung, the government is launching a lottery for all those who are awarded 500-euro vouchers to be used in shops, hotels, restaurants and culture and sports venues. Vaccinated with.
Austria has so far seen around 14,000 COVID-related deaths and 1.5 million cases in a population of about nine million.
The daily infection toll continues to break records, reaching a new high of more than 27,600 on Wednesday.
Compulsory vaccination against COVID is rare around the world, although Ecuador, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Indonesia and Micronesia have launched such schemes.
Thousands have demonstrated against compulsory vaccination at regular weekend rallies since the measure was announced in November to boost the country’s vaccination rate.
All parties, except the far-right, supported the measure, with 137 votes in favor of the new law and 33 against it in the 183-seat parliament.
“It is (necessarily) adopted with a majority,” said Doris Burroughs, the second president of National Council, said.
To date, 72 percent of Austrian residents have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus – in line with the EU-wide average, just over 70 percent, but several percent below regional neighbors such as Italy and France.
Under the new law, which takes effect on February 4, those caught against the jab could be fined up to 3,600 euros ($4,100) from mid-March after an initial “preliminary phase”.
The government initially wanted to cover everyone aged 14 and above, but now the measure only applies to adults, except pregnant women and those with medical exemptions.
charged argument
An overwhelming majority of lawmakers from all parties voted in favor of the law, with leaders of the opposition Social Democrats (SPOE) and liberal NEOS extending their support to the centre-right coalition.
The only significant opposition came from the far-right Freedom Party (FPOE), which has attracted anti-vaccination voters.
FPOE leader herbert kickley Raids against the law in a charged parliamentary debate on Thursday, claiming it “paves the way for totalitarianism in Austria”.
He vowed that he himself would continue to refuse vaccinations in defiance of the new law.
“Vaccination is an opportunity for our society to achieve lasting and continued freedom, because the virus cannot restrict us any more,” said centre-right chancellor. Karl Nehmer told reporters before the debate.
Green Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein appealed during the debate to “question the myths about vaccination for all citizens” that “all evidence indicates that the vaccines available in Austria are safe”.
safety zone
Although some Austrians are convinced of the merits of vaccination, a few hundred opponents of the law gathered near parliament on Thursday morning to noisy.
Teacher Kerstin said she thought the law was against the Constitution and overlooked the fact that “we are for some basic rights”.
Others present said that very few studies had been done on the long-term effects of jabs and that they would oppose paying any potential fines.
On Wednesday, the government announced it was setting up “safety zones” around health facilities and vaccination centers so that police could turn anyone away, including protesters, from “causing difficulty.”
To encourage those who are still stung, the government is launching a lottery for all those who are awarded 500-euro vouchers to be used in shops, hotels, restaurants and culture and sports venues. Vaccinated with.
Austria has so far seen around 14,000 COVID-related deaths and 1.5 million cases in a population of about nine million.
The daily infection toll continues to break records, reaching a new high of more than 27,600 on Wednesday.
Compulsory vaccination against COVID is rare around the world, although Ecuador, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Indonesia and Micronesia have launched such schemes.
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