The Austrian government announced, this Friday (19), a lockdown for the entire population, regardless of vaccination status, starting next Monday (22). It is the first country in Western Europe to adopt the measure since the end of summer on the continent.
The lockdown is expected to last for ten days initially, and could last a maximum of 20, said Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg at a press conference on Friday. “It hurts to take this type of measure,” he declared.
The government will also make immunization against Covid-19 mandatory, with a February 1, 2022 deadline for Austrians to get vaccinated. Currently, 67% of the country is fully immunized against the virus, one of the lowest rates in the region.
“Germany faces national emergency”
Germany’s Health Minister said on Friday that the country faced a “national emergency” with the recent increase in Covid-19 cases. “The situation is more serious today than it was a week ago,” said Jens Spahn at a news conference.
Asked about the possibility of a lockdown, even for those vaccinated against Covid-19, Spahn said that neither possibility can be ruled out at the moment.
The country registered more than 65,000 cases this Thursday (18), an increase of 22% compared to the previous day. Prime Minister Angela Merkel described the situation as “dramatic”.
Reference: CNN Brasil

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