Austria is days away from locking up millions of people who have not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as daily infections are high and intensive care units are on the verge of collapse, Chancellor Alexander Salenberg said on Thursday.
About 65% of the Austrian population is fully vaccinated against coronavirus, the lowest rate of any country in Western Europe except Liechtenstein, according to the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
“According to the plan, we actually have a few days until we introduce the lockdown for unvaccinated people,” Salenberg told a news conference in the western state of Vorarlberg, adding that the vaccination rate in Austria was “shamefully low”.
The Conservative-led government said Friday it was banning unvaccinated restaurants, theaters, ski lifts and near-body service providers such as hairdressers.
“A lockdown for the unvaccinated means that one can not leave home unless one is going to work, shop (for basic necessities), play sports – that is exactly what we all had to endure in 2020,” he said. Salenberg, referring to three national lockdowns last year.
The main opposition parties have accused the government of doing too little for months to boost vaccination levels and keep infections under control.
Some conservatives have argued that a lockdown for the unvaccinated would be inapplicable. Salenberg said police would conduct on-site inspections.
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Source From: Capital
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