(Vienna) The Austrian Chancellor announced on Friday a plan for the national containment of people who have not been vaccinated or do not have an antibody certificate, as the country registers a record number of new infections with COVID-19.
“The goal is clear: we want to give the green light to national containment for unvaccinated people,” Alexander Schallenberg said at a press conference.
He did not specify the date of entry into force of the measure, which must first receive the approval of Parliament on Sunday.
Almost 65% of the population received the two doses of vaccine in Austria, which is lower than the European average of 67% and far from countries like Spain (79%) or France (75%).
PHOTO BARBARA GINDL, APA / AFP
A notice informing visitors that only people vaccinated or cured of COVID-19 are allowed indoors has been installed in a shop window in Salzburg.
Mr Schallenberg called the vaccination rate “disgracefully low”.
The regions of Upper Austria and that of Salzburg, among the most affected, will already introduce this confinement from Monday.
Concretely, they will not have the right to leave their home except for shopping, sports or for medical care.
According to the Chancellor, “unannounced” checks will be carried out.
For the measure to apply to the whole country, it is necessary, in addition to the vote of the Parliament, the approval of all the regional governors, who will meet during the weekend.
The government was reluctant to take such a step, Schallenberg said, but had no other choice in the face of the rapidly deteriorating situation: more than 10,000 new cases are currently recorded every day in the 9-year-old country. , 8 million inhabitants.
PHOTO LEONHARD FOEGER, REUTERS
Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg
“The majority of the population, who did the right thing [en se vaccinant], must now also protect themselves, ”he lamented, launching a new appeal to the refractory.
This announcement aroused criticism in the political class, the social democratic opposition seeing there “an admission of guilt of the government in its management of the pandemic”.
The Minister of Health, Wolfgang Mueckstein, also announced Friday that he would make compulsory the vaccination of health personnel.
The government had already tightened the measures last week, by banning the unvaccinated from restaurants, hotels and cultural places.
A negative test for COVID-19 is no longer sufficient.
To date, more than 11,640 people have died from COVID-19 in Austria.