The measures will affect over two million people who have not yet received the administration
The unvaccinated lockdown in Austria will start from midnight on November 14th. Fines of up to 1,450 euros are foreseen for transgressors of confinement. Those who are not immunized will only be able to leave home to work, shop or go for a walk. And, of course, to get vaccinated.
Authorities are concerned about the tightness of hospitals, which are struggling to manage the growing influx of Covid-19 patients. “It is our job as the government of Austria to protect the people,” Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said, “So we have decided that starting Monday there will be a lockdown for the unvaccinated.” Students are excluded from the penalties.
The decision to impose the lockdown on the unvaccinated starting from tomorrow “was not taken lightly”, added the chancellor, but “with the vaccination rates we have, we are stuck in a vicious circle” of infections. Schallenberg complained about the “shamefully low” rate of vaccinated, just over 63% of the population. This is the worst percentage among Western European countries. The head of the government of Vienna then made it known that, if they deem it necessary, the regions will be able to introduce more stringent measures. Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein explained that the aim of the measure is to encourage vaccinations and reduce social contacts by around 30%.
According to the Austrian news agency Apa, the lockdown will affect about 2 million people in a country that has 8.9 million inhabitants. It will not apply to children under the age of 12 because they cannot yet be vaccinated. The lockdown will initially last 10 days and police have been asked to check people around to make sure they are vaccinated, Schallenberg said.
In recent days, the government had made it known that the lockdown would eventually be triggered when the threshold of 600 intensive care beds occupied was reached: currently 433, but the authorities have emphasized that the cases are increasing with an excessive speed, thus deciding to anticipate the measure.
Unlimited access to all site content
€ 1 / month for 3 months, then € 3.99 / month for 3 months
Unlock unlimited access to all content on the site
#Austria #lockdown #nonvaccinated #people #midnight #euro #fine #offenders