Austria: Unvaccinated people have to go into lockdown
Status: 11/14/2021 1:26 p.m.
Due to the continued high incidence of 815, Austria has decided that unvaccinated people will have to go into lockdown from tomorrow. They are then only allowed to leave their home with a valid reason. Violations can result in high penalties.
In the fight against the fourth wave of the corona pandemic, there will be a lockdown for unvaccinated people in Austria from tomorrow. This is what Federal Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg and the heads of state of the federal states have decided. The far-reaching exit restrictions are initially limited to ten days. About two million people are affected – around a quarter of the population.
Those who do not have a vaccination will in future only be allowed to leave their house or apartment for urgent reasons – for example, to go shopping for daily needs, to go to work or to visit the doctor. This does not apply to people who have been vaccinated, children under the age of twelve and people who have recovered from a corona infection in the past 180 days.
Violations can result in high fines
Adherence to the regulation should be checked with random samples. The aim is to increase the willingness to vaccinate and to significantly reduce social contacts. The seven-day incidence per 100,000 inhabitants in Austria has now risen to around 815. The federal states of Salzburg and Upper Austria are particularly badly affected, where the incidence value is around 1300 each.
“We are not taking the step lightly,” said Schallenberg. But the numbers speak a clear language. Among the unvaccinated, the seven-day incidence per 100,000 inhabitants is more than 1700. It is now important to finally increase the “shamefully low” vaccination rate. “With this vaccination rate we will get stuck in a vicious circle.” The measure would be very consistent, violations would be punished accordingly. According to the Interior Minister, Karl Nehammer, there is a risk of fines ranging from several hundred to several thousand euros.
The restrictions for unvaccinated people are already great – for example due to the 3G rule in the workplace and the 2G rule in public life. The tightening has been in place since the beginning of November and is also having an effect. The number of vaccinations skyrocketed and is now back to the level of July. The vaccination rate is around 65 percent – slightly less than in Germany.
Germany declares Austria a high risk area
According to a step-by-step plan by the government, the lockdown for unvaccinated persons should actually only come when 600 intensive care beds have been occupied. According to the authorities, 433 places are currently occupied. Because of the high number of infections again, the government has now taken this step forward.
To avoid putting too much strain on the clinics, experts call for a lockdown for everyone. The government will avoid that. It should be prevented that the willingness to vaccinate decreases again.
Germany has declared Austria a high-risk corona area again. This means that travelers and commuters have had to comply with stricter rules since Sunday. Anyone who has not been vaccinated or has recovered must be in quarantine for at least five days when they return to Germany.
Austria: federal and state governments close “lockdown for unvaccinated people”
Srdjan Govedarica, ARD Vienna, November 14, 2021 1:41 p.m.