Austria reimposes a national lockdown due to increased Covid-19 infections

First modification: 11/19/2021 – 14:50

Austria becomes the first Western European country to reimpose a total lockdown for Covid-19. As of Monday, November 22, the new national isolation begins to rule, which will initially last ten days, but could be extended to 20 days, according to Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg during a press conference.

The authorities had already decreed since last November 15 a blockade for all people who are not vaccinated against the virus. However, they have decided to extend it to the entire nation because the increase in Covid-19 infections has set new records in recent days.

In addition, as of next February 1, being vaccinated against the new coronavirus will become a mandatory requirement in this country.

Austria has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Europe: only two-thirds of the population is fully immunized. At the same time, its contagion figures are among the highest in the old continent, with an incidence of 991 cases in a week per house of 100,000 people.

“It hurts that these measures still have to be taken (…) We have not been able to convince enough people to get vaccinated,” Schallenberg said.

The health situation has also deepened the ideological gap in the country’s political arena that exists between Schallenberg’s conservatives and their coalition partner, the left-wing Green Party.

Just a few days ago, the conservative Austrian chancellor stated that he did not want to impose additional restrictions on the unvaccinated, despite the fact that Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein of Los Verdes called for a night curfew.

Germany “faces a national emergency”

Austria is not the only country that is proposing new measures to count the pandemic, especially as a result of the low temperatures that decrease as winter approaches and the reluctance of thousands of citizens to get vaccinated.

The Netherlands have again decreed a partial closure in which bars and restaurants must lower the blind at 8 pm and Germany does not rule out confinement, even for those vaccinated. In fact, the German territory is waiting for the Upper House of Parliament to approve new national restrictions due to the health emergency.

Among the measures that could be implemented, the Minister of Health, Jens Spahn, pointed out that a total confinement that includes people who have already been inoculated cannot be ruled out.

In recent weeks, the increase in infections has been such that the daily figures have even exceeded the rates that were recorded day by day at the beginning of the pandemic. This Friday, the authorities reported 52,970 new cases and 201 deaths, bringing the total of deaths to 98,739.

“We are in a national emergency (…) Now we are in a situation where we cannot rule out anything,” said Spahn.

On Thursday, November 18, case numbers soared to historic levels: 65,371 cases in just 24 hours. Given that figure, the leaders of 16 German states agreed, in an emergency meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel, that those who are not immunized must show negative results of recent Covid-19 tests to be able to access daily functions such as taking public transport or go to the office.

In addition, unvaccinated people will be banned from certain public spaces in areas with a hospitalization rate of more than three patients in the last seven days per 100,000 inhabitants.

To protect the most vulnerable, the authorities also agreed to introduce mandatory inoculation for healthcare workers and employees in nursing homes.

“We need to quickly curb the exponential increase” in cases and bed occupancy in intensive care, Merkel said, calling the situation “very dramatic.”

After a strong boost in vaccination in the first quarter of 2021, Germany’s inoculation rate stalled mid-year.

Despite the wide availability of antidotes, Germany is among the powers with the fewest vaccinated people. Around 67% of its inhabitants have received the full dose of immunization, compared to 88% in Portugal and 81% in Spain.

A new wave of the pandemic is making its way in Europe that already anticipates another Christmas with restrictions.

With Reuters and AFP