Austria’s 7-day infection rate surged above 800 cases per 100,000 people, one of the highest in Europe
Austria has placed 2 million of its population under lockdown from today, i.e., Monday, November 15, 2021, for not getting fully vaccinated against Coronavirus (COVID-19).
These unvaccinated people are only allowed to move out except for going to work or for buying foods. They cannot go to restaurants, hotels, cinemas, hairdressers and cultural events. As of now, only 65% of Austria’s population is fully vaccinated. This is the lowest in the Western Europe.
The lockdown comes at a time when 7-day infection rate surged above 800 cases per 100,000 people, which is one of the highest in Europe.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chancellor of Austria – Alexander Schallenberg said, “It’s our job as the government of Austria to protect the people. Therefore, we decided that starting Monday… there will be a lockdown for the unvaccinated.”
The lockdown is being imposed with random spot checks for the next 10 days. Post that, it will be reviewed by the Ministry of Health, Austria. The unvaccinated people can be fined up to 1,450 euros ($1,660) if they do not adhere to the restrictions.
Children under the age of 12 and people who have recently recovered from the COVID-19 are exempted from this lockdown. Meanwhile, the city of Vienna is the first region in the Europe to offer COVID-19 vaccine to children between 5 to 11 years of age. It has received more than 5,000 registrations for children aged between 5 to 11 years.
Taking it to twitter, the Federal Minister for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection – Wolfgang Mueckstein tweeted (translated in English), “The situation in the pandemic is very serious. The doctors and nurses in the intensive care units do incredible things. It is our responsibility to do whatever we can to break the fourth wave.” Original tweet in German:
Die Situation in der Pandemie ist sehr ernst. Die Ärzt:innen und Pfleger:innen auf den Intensivstationen leisten Unglaubliches. Es ist unsere Verantwortung, alles zu tun, um die vierte Welle zu brechen. (1/4)
— Wolfgang Mueckstein (@WolfgangMueckst) November 14, 2021
He further tweeted (translated in English), “Nocturnal exit restrictions are one of several measures that I presented to the federal government and the states today. In this way we would make a major contribution to this required reduction in contact.” Original tweet in German:
Nächtliche Ausgangsbeschränkungen sind eine von mehreren Maßnahmen, die ich heute der Bundesregierung und den Ländern vorgelegt habe. Damit würden wir einen großen Beitrag zu dieser erforderlichen Kontaktreduktion leisten. (3/4)
— Wolfgang Mueckstein (@WolfgangMueckst) November 14, 2021
However, the opposition has questioned if the move is constitutional. The far-right Freedom Party has said it will create a group of second-class citizens.
Separately, there has been a surge in the COVID-19 cases cross the Europe. The Health Minister of Germany – Jens Spahn has warned of a pandemic of the unvaccinated. The Federal Government and state leaders are due to meet later this week to discuss possible new restrictions, despite 67.3% of population being fully vaccinated.
In Netherlands, “lockdown-lite” measures have been imposed to limit social contacts in response to a sharp increase in infections. The measures include early closing for restaurants and shops and barring spectators from sporting events. About 84% of Dutch adults have been fully vaccinated. Most patients in Dutch hospitals have not had their jab. Latvia, where 59% of the population are fully vaccinated, has re-imposed lockdown last month and has banned lawmakers who refuse the vaccine from voting on laws and taking part in debates until the middle of next year.
