ØStarting next week, Austria hopes to try a new method to combat the exponential increase in the number of coronavirus infections, which is to lock down people who have not been vaccinated. Anyone who has not gained immunity through vaccination (or an infection that has been overcome) should only be allowed to leave home for unavoidable errands or paid work.
headmaster Alexander Schellenberg (ÖVP) announced on Friday that Sunday should “give the green light” to this measure, which was previously only seen as a regional partial solution for particularly severely affected federal states. At the same time, the Minister of Health Wolfgang Mukstein (Green Party) announced that he will compulsory vaccination in the health care sector.
Due to the rapid increase in numbers, Germany has declared Austria a high-risk area. This means that unnecessary travel is not recommended-in the words of the Austrian tourism representative, “a disaster”.
Prime Minister announces “random” surveillance
Throughout Austria, 11,798 new infections were reported on Friday, with a 7-day incidence rate of 778.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Therefore, the fourth wave of infections is higher than any previous wave. Therefore, the 2-G rule for restaurants and events was introduced earlier this week. This promoted the vaccination campaign, which had basically been asleep for several months before, but only 65% of the entire population of Austria was vaccinated. As the capacity of hospitals, especially intensive care units, may reach its limit, the government hopes to impose an emergency brake on those who have not been vaccinated and restrict their withdrawal.
According to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the lockdown of unvaccinated people will be monitored “randomly”. If you have to go to work or perform necessary errands, or if you want to “stretch your feet”, you can leave the apartment. Schallenberg said it is impossible to have very tight control: “We do not live in a police state, and we cannot and do not want to check every street corner.”
He assured that no consideration was given to imposing a complete lockdown on vaccinated and survivors. “Two-thirds of people got it right,” Schellenberg said, referring to previous vaccination rates. Those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered should not lose their freedom in solidarity with those who have not been vaccinated.
