Austria’s government plans to impose a strict lockdown on the unvaccinated as it battles soaring rates of Covid-19 infection, in one of the most contentious measures in Europe to try to contain the pandemic.
Speaking at a press conference in the state of Tyrol on Friday, chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said the federal government was seeking a nationwide lockdown for those who have not been jabbed, to apply from Monday.
Austrians who have held out against being inoculated could expect Christmas to be “uncomfortable”, he told reporters earlier. The measures were needed to protect the rights of those who had been vaccinated or recovered from the virus. “I don’t see why two-thirds of the population should lose their freedom because another third hesitates,” Schallenberg said.
Austrian state governors will meet federal government officials on Sunday to thrash out details of how the lockdown will work.
Despite Schallenberg’s insistence a lockdown is necessary, the consensus between states is far from clear. Upper Austria and Salzburg have said they will enforce strict measures regardless of what is decided on Sunday, but other state governors have been more equivocal. Any new measures are likely to meet legal challenges.
Unvaccinated people are already banned from the country’s restaurants, bars and entertainment venues.
The government has yet to reveal details, but officials in the chancellery said measures would almost certainly mirror the harsh lockdown restrictions in Austria during autumn last year and spring.
If so, unvaccinated people will be able to leave their homes only once a day for a short period for “essential” reasons, such as buying food.
Police would be deployed to conduct spot checks in public places to check people’s vaccination status, the interior ministry said. Rule breakers would face hefty fines.
Schallenberg said further measures beyond a lockdown were also under consideration, such as a mandatory vaccination requirement for some employees.
More than 33 per cent of Austrians have yet to have a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine — one of the lowest rates in the EU — public health data show.
Austria this week recorded its highest infection numbers of the entire pandemic, with a rolling seven-day average of 9,593 daily infections reached on Thursday. The previous high, almost exactly a year ago, was 7,464.
Germany on Friday added Austria to its list of “high-risk” countries, caretaker health minister Jens Spahn said. Under that classification, anyone entering Germany from Austria who has not been vaccinated or recovered from the virus must quarantine for 10 days.
Schallenberg’s announcement sparked a fierce backlash. Herbert Kickl, leader of Austria’s far-right Freedom party — which won a quarter of votes in the 2019 federal elections — accused the government of “corona fascism” and said “all forms of resistance . . . are now needed”.
“The lockdown for the unvaccinated . . . is unconstitutional, inhuman, harassing, completely illogical and not based on any evidence . . . With this step, Schallenberg and Co make their totalitarian attitude clear to everyone,” Kickl wrote in a media statement.
Austria’s move came as other EU countries sought to tighten coronavirus curbs.
Authorities in Germany proposed tougher measures as the seven-day incidence rate — which reached 263 people per 100,000 — hit a historic high for the fifth consecutive day.
Spahn called for access to public events to be restricted to the vaccinated or recovered and requiring them to be tested before entry. The Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s main public health authority, called for a cut in the numbers allowed into large events or for them to be cancelled, and for bars and clubs in areas with high incidence rates to be closed.
In Latvia, from Monday, lawmakers in the national parliament and all municipal councils will be able to work and be paid only if they have been jabbed or are recovering from a Covid-19 infection.
The Baltic country had the world’s highest number of coronavirus cases per capita last month and the country has a lower vaccination rate than the EU average.
The Netherlands is also expected to announce a partial three-week lockdown from Saturday after case numbers hit record levels. Infection rates have soared since the government removed most social restrictions in September.
The measures will include the closure of non-essential shops by 7pm, no more than four visitors inside homes and the reintroduction of teleworking wherever possible. The measures are due to be confirmed by the caretaker government on Friday evening.
Additional reporting by Erika Solomon in Berlin, Mehreen Khan in Brussels and Richard Milne, Nordic and Baltic Correspondent
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2021-11-12 15:16:04Z
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