Three weeks after re-implementing strict regulations in response to the rising wave of coronavirus infections, Austria has ended the lockdown of people vaccinated in most parts of the country.
These regulations vary from region to region in the country, and to a large extent allow theaters, museums and other cultural and entertainment venues to reopen on Sundays. The store will follow up on Monday.
Some areas will reopen restaurants and hotels on Sunday, while others will have to wait until later this month. In all cases, restaurants will impose a curfew at 11 p.m., and masks will still be required on public transportation and in shops and public places.
Prime Minister Karl Nehammer called the move last week a “seat belt opening”, allowing each of Austria’s nine regions to relax or tighten restrictions based on local conditions.
People who have not been vaccinated will still be subject to lockdown restrictions and should stay at home except for a few specific reasons, such as shopping for groceries, seeing a doctor or exercising.
Since the beginning of the lockdown, the number of new cases in Austria has dropped sharply. On Friday, the country reported 367.5 new infections per 100,000 residents, down from 1,102.4 on the first day of the lockdown in November.
The number of people hospitalized due to the virus has not dropped as sharply as the number of new cases. Currently, there are 567 coronavirus patients in intensive care units across the country, which is only slightly lower than the 572 on the first day of lockdown last month.
Austrian officials emphasized that a high rate of vaccination is necessary to control the virus.Only 67.7% of the population is vaccinated, and the vaccination rate in Western countries is relatively low Europe, And the government has taken measures to put increasing pressure on unvaccinated individuals to get injections.
These measures include a nationwide vaccine injunction, which will take effect in February for all residents 14 years and older. Those who fail to comply will face a fine of up to 3,600 Euros (£3,000).
In recent weeks, tens of thousands of people across the country have protested the lockdown restrictions and upcoming vaccine regulations. The police said that a demonstration in the capital Vienna on Saturday attracted 44,000 people.
