Coronablog – Again corona protest in Amsterdam, Austria has draft law on vaccination obligation ready
Austria wants to be the first in the European Union to introduce the mandatory fight against the corona virus at the beginning of February, as planned. This is what the bill is intended to do.
Thousands of people took to the streets in the Austrian capital yesterday, in protest against the law. There is much discussion about such a vaccination obligation, but according to the Austrian government it is a practical and necessary means to fight the pandemic.
The Austrian government wants to be compulsory from the age of 18, and not from the age of 14, as has been the case for a long time. The law applies to everyone staying in Austria, although there are exceptions for pregnant women and can be vaccinated. Anyone who has been cured after an infection is exempt for 180 days.
Austria will start checks, including by road, from mid-March. Anyone who does not have a corona vaccine gets a last chance and otherwise risks a fine of 600 to 3,600 euros.
Parliament has yet to pass the vaccination bill, but that counts as a formality because the conservative VP and the Greens have a majority. In the opposition, only the right-wing populist FPÖ is categorically against.