The new rules will be in force till at least November 24.
Austria is placing unvaccinated people under lockdown since Monday, in the most drastic move by a Western European country to slow the latest wave of the coronavirus.
European cases reached nearly 2 million last week, the most in a week since the pandemic began in the region. The Netherlands and Latvia have both introduced new measures, while Germany is considering new restrictions after cases rose to record levels.
Globally, governments eager to get life back to normal are increasingly looking for ways to force more people to get vaccinated – from putting unvaccinated people on forced leave to paying for their medical care. until the refusal.
Austria needs to increase its “embarrassingly low vaccination rate”, Chancellor Alexander Schellenberg said at a news conference in Vienna. “We are not taking this step lightly. But unfortunately it is necessary.”
Austria’s new lockdown without vaccination: what does it mean?
- People who have not been vaccinated will only be able to leave their homes to work, study, meet medical needs, buy groceries, or get some fresh air.
- Unaffiliated people caught breaking the rules by entering places such as retail shops or cinemas can be fined starting from around 500 euros ($572). Businesses caught violating the new rules face fines starting at around 3,000 euros. Groups actively plotting to evade the rules could be on the hook for as little as 30,000 euros.
- Austria’s interior ministry said potentially everyone would be subject to a police check, meaning even vaccinated people should not leave their homes without proof of vaccination.
- Those who have been vaccinated will still be able to shop, dine and participate in cultural events. Commerce groups estimate the new rules could lead to sales of up to 350 million euros a week.
- The new rules will be in force till at least November 24.
Only 65% of Austrians are fully vaccinated, one of the lowest in Western Europe, and one of the low levels to build herd immunity against the virus.
Austria’s vaccination rate is well below that of neighbors such as France and Italy, while far above that of Eastern Europe. In Slovakia, whose capital Bratislava is less than 50 miles from Vienna, only 43% of people have been fully vaccinated.
Austria’s 7-day average Covid cases have more than doubled this month to more than 10,000, and its recent infection rate is among the highest in the world. A record 13,152 cases were reported on Saturday. Austria’s seven-day infection rate of 775 new cases per 100,000 people is up from 289 in neighboring Germany, where officials are taking several steps to contain the virus.
According to media reports, German leaders plan to allow companies to allow employees to work from home, and its military has put thousands of soldiers on standby to aid strained medical clinics. Germany recently declared Austria a high-risk area, and requires unvaccinated people returning from Austria to be quarantined.
The Netherlands is also back in a partial lockdown, which includes the early closure of bars, shops and restaurants, but has not excluded the unaffiliated for special treatment. Latvia has closed bars and shops, imposed a curfew and resumed distance learning for students.
After the recent tightening of standards, people without vaccination or proof of recovery from COVID are already excluded from many activities in Austria including music, restaurants and bars. As for vaccinations, life is proceeding fairly normally, although masks are required in indoor places such as subways and shops, and social distancing is encouraged where possible.
Austria was one of the world’s coronavirus hotspots during the start of the pandemic, when returning skiers spread the virus across northern Europe and as far away as Iceland.
—With assistance from Marten Ader and Ian Rogers.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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