Austria imposes an unprecedented compulsory vaccination and a new confinement

The Austrian Government announced this Friday the fourth general confinement since the beginning of the pandemic and, to get out of the “vicious circle” of restrictions, it imposes mandatory vaccination of the entire population from February.

Austria, where 65% of the population has the complete guideline, thus becomes the first European country to introduce a mandatory immunization against COVID-19 and is also the first to return to confinement in this latest wave.

The Alpine republic is leading the latest restrictive measures on the continent to stop infections, including the unprecedented confinement of the unvaccinated that was introduced last Monday.

Low immunization

“Despite months of persuasion, despite all the media campaigns, despite everything, we haven’t been able to convince everyone to get vaccinated“Lamented the chancellor, Alexander Schallenberg.

The conservative politician criticized the formations that oppose vaccination, such as the far-right party FPÖ, which has 20% voting intention, and defined his position as “irresponsible” and “an attack on the health system”.

“So we are faced with a very difficult decision, the decision that a nationwide mandatory vaccination should begin quickly.Schallenberg said.

Those who do not comply with the regulations can face harsh administrative sanctions, although which ones have not been specified.

The head of the Government was sure of the legality of the measure and recalled that in the past a forced vaccination against smallpox was already applied after the Second World War.

The measures were announced when the contagion rate is among the highest on the continent, with about a thousand cases per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days.

In the last 24 hours, a new record was recorded with 15,809 positives and there are already more than five hundred patients in the ICU, with hospitals in the Salzburg and Upper Austria regions at the limit of their capacities.

Both the vaccination for all and the new confinement were agreed between the central government of conservatives and environmentalists and the regional authorities, in a meeting that lasted until the wee hours of the morning.

Ultras antivacunas

The leader of the far-right FPÖ, Herbert Kickl, who is in quarantine after a COVID-19 infection, said on social networks that with the mandatory vaccination Austria was becoming a “dictatorship”.

The ultra leader – who has recommended dewormers, ibuprofen and vitamin C to protect himself from COVID-19 – has called a large demonstration for tomorrow, Saturday, to protest against the Government’s decisions.

Both former Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz and his successor, Schallenberg, promised in recent months that the pandemic was over for those vaccinated and that there would be no new confinement for them.

According to some experts, such as Thomas Czypionka, a health policy analyst at the Institute for Advanced Studies, these promises explain that the government took so long to impose the new restrictions in this latest wave of the pandemic.

“That is why it took so long to impose restrictions on those vaccinated, but the virus neither negotiates nor follows the promises or slogans of politicians”, Declared the expert to Efe.

The Minister of Health, the environmentalist Wolfgang Mückstein, even apologized to the citizens for the delay of the Executive in taking more expeditious measures.

Fourth confinement

The Government also approved a general confinement of 20 days starting next Monday, since the measures adopted so far, such as restrictions for the unvaccinated, did not significantly reduce infections.

“Citizens will have to assume new restrictions for 20 days because there were too many who have been unsupportive. I ask you to follow the measures and to reduce the contacts to protect yourself and to protect your loved onesSchallenberg asked.

The new confinement means that citizens will only be able to leave their homes for certain purposes, such as essential purchases, going to the doctor, helping third parties or walking and exercising outdoors.

Non-essential stores, except supermarkets and pharmacies, as well as restaurants, gyms and all leisure spaces will be closed during confinement.

Unlike in the previous three confinements, the nurseries and schools will remain open. Masks are mandatory for use in all enclosed spaces and a third dose of the vaccine is recommended four months after the first.

The employer’s association has described the new confinement as “a historical catastrophe”Since the closings will mean huge losses just a few weeks before Christmas.

Experts estimate that losses for businesses can amount to one billion euros per week. Another highly affected sector is tourism, especially winter tourism, on which large regions of the country depend.