photo source, Reuters
1 in 3 Austrians have not yet been vaccinated
The Austrian government is planning to lock down the entire country from the 22nd to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
Austrian Prime Minister Alexander Schalenberg explained that the measure would last up to 20 days. It also announced that vaccination will become compulsory from February 1, 2022.
Austria has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe.
Several European countries are taking various restrictions as the number of confirmed cases increases.
“We do not want a fifth re-proliferation,” Schalenberg said after meeting with the governors of nine Austrian states.
He also added that there has been a long discussion of mandatory vaccination.
“Various political forces, anti-vaccination forces, fake news,” he said, have encouraged many people not to vaccinate.
According to recent statistics, in the past week in Austria the incidence of COVID-19 has risen to 1049.9 per 100,000 people.
Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein said the lockdown was a ‘last resort’.
There were 15,809 confirmed cases in the past day. Austria has a population of about 9 million.
The measures will force Austrians to work from home and close non-essential shops.
But schools will remain open for children who need face-to-face learning.
This action will continue until the 12th of the following month and will go through an interim evaluation process.
Neighboring Germany also saw a surge in the number of confirmed cases this week. Health Minister Jenspan called it “a national emergency that requires a national effort”.
German authorities have agreed to introduce restrictions on unvaccinated people in areas with high rates of hospital admissions.
Congress supported the idea that people must present vaccine passes on buses, trains and at work.
In Bavaria, which borders Austria, Governor Marcus Söder has declared “a de facto lockdown for those who are not vaccinated”.
Bars and clubs have been closed for three weeks, and all Christmas markets have been canceled.
Prime Minister Eduard Heger of Slovakia announced that the ‘blockade of unvaccinated people’ would begin on the 24th, and the Czech government is pursuing a similar policy.
The Netherlands began a partial lockdown last weekend.
The trend of the increase in the number of confirmed cases by country in Europe. Austrian cases are rising
Hans Kluge, head of Europe for the World Health Organization (WHO), warned that “there could be harsh winters ahead.”
He criticized the spread of the highly contagious Delta strain, but not enough coverage.
