Coronavirus – Austria: Lockdown for the unvaccinated from today

In lockdown are coming in today unvaccinated against coronavirus citizens in Austria, while even stricter restrictions are not ruled out if the situation continues to worsen. THE vaccination is now becoming mandatory for healthcare workers, while from today the can be vaccinated children aged 5 to 11 years.

At the same time in Germany, the controversy over the measures to be taken under the weight of the worrying increase in cases is escalating.

Austria: Traffic ban for the unvaccinated

Following the decision taken yesterday by Parliament’s main committee and the conciliation of Chancellor Alexander Salenberg with the Prime Ministers of the states, from today onwards until November 24th the unvaccinated will be able to move only to go to work, buy basic necessities, play sports, because they need medical help or – of course – to be vaccinated.

The unvaccinated are also excluded from retail stores, while they were already excluded from restaurants, gyms and hairdressers. Restrictions apply to anyone over the age of 12. For students 12-15 years old, however, there is the so-called “Passo-Ninja”, a certificate of vaccination or illness and recovery. The Austrian News Agency (APA) estimates that the measures will affect the daily lives of about two million people in the country.

“The number of cases is higher than ever (…). We have a vicious circle of pandemic, which must be broken (…). The government was forced to take a decisive, difficult step. “We are not taking this step lightly, but the numbers speak for themselves,” Salenberg was quoted as saying by AMPE, announcing the measures, stressing that “otherwise, Austria would never have escaped the vicious circle.”

Lockdown and for students over 15 years old

Chancellor Salenberg defended the decision to include in the lockdown the students over the age of 15, noting that theyoung people transmit the new coronavirus, although they usually do not have severe symptoms. Schools, however, will continue to operate normally, with the obligation to perform three diagnostic tests per week, one of which must be molecular – even for vaccinated and sick people.

He also stressed that the monitoring of the implementation of the measures is of particular importance, assuring that “it will be done with great consistency”. Anyone who violates the new regulations is at risk fine of 500 euros, while for whoever refuses the audit, the fine will amount to 1,450 euros. He left open the possibility not only of renewing the measure after November 24, but also of imposing even stricter restrictions. Additional measures are considered likely to be taken in the states of Upper Austria and Salzburg, where the situation is particularly dire.

THE Minister of Health Wolfgang Mukstein he even talked about possible traffic ban, where will concerns both the vaccinated and the sick, arround night hours, as well as for restrictions on events where the public does not have pre-arranged seats.

Alexander Salenberg repeatedly stressed that the measures focus on the unvaccinated, as “the only way out of the vicious circle of the pandemic is vaccination.” He described the vaccination rate in Austria as “shamefully low” (67%).

The Minister of Health, however, noted that since the announcement of the measure for access to the workplace only with a certificate of vaccination or illness or with a negative test, the number of vaccinations has quadrupled.

Political controversy in Germany over measures – Restrictions on the social life of the unvaccinated

The decisions of the Austrian Government intensify the political controversy in the Germany, where the General lockdown is still rejected by the government, but remains a viable option for individual areas.

Last night, in a political debate on Bild television, representatives of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU), the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Liberals (FDP) avoided ruling out the possibility. SPD Health spokesman Karl Lauterbach called for restrictions on the unvaccinated and called for the cancellation of major events, such as Carnival and Christmas shopping.

Any event that takes place, he clarified, should only concern vaccinated and sick people, who, however, will have been additionally tested. He warned that “in a few days the Intensive Care Units will be full”. On behalf of the CDU, Chancellor of the Exchequer Helge Brown agreed to the cancellation of Christmas shopping in areas with an outbreak of the pandemic: “it is not possible to continue one’s social life under these conditions,” he said. FDP Vice President Wolfgang Kubiki expressed a different view, stressing that “if the vaccinated are closed, we will send the wrong message: that vaccination has no effect.”

From today, however The social life of the unvaccinated is also severely restricted in Berlin, as – in the first phase until November 28th– will not have access to restaurants, sporting and artistic events, theaters, cinemas, museums, gyms, hairdressers and beauty salons, but also to the zoos and botanical gardens of the capital. Berlin’s famous nightclubs were already operating under this regulation.

In addition, although the rule does not apply to hotels, will apply to tourists who want to use tour buses and tourist boats on the river Spree. The main reason for the decision of the local Senate is rapid increase in cases of the new coronavirus, but also the significant burden on the city’s hospitals. Charité University Hospital announced last week that it was canceling all regular surgeries due to system overload.

Similar restrictions for the unvaccinated have been in place since last week at Saxony, while Chancellor Angela Merkel and the state prime ministers will meet on Thursday, in a new effort to coordinate and implement uniform regulations.