Thousands of people arrived in Vienna on Saturday to protest Austria’s latest measures against COVID-19, including a nationwide lockdown and vaccination mandate.
Austria’s national intelligence service warned on Friday that protesters could attempt to enter hospitals after calls to the “action”On anti-vaccine social media groups, Krone reported, citing the Interior Ministry. Police increased their presence around hospitals in the Salzburg and Upper Austria regions, which are currently hotbeds for the virus.
Police urged protesters to stay home, warning that more than 1,300 officers would be on the streets to enforce mask-wearing mandates and social distancing requirements.
“Numerous demonstrations have been scheduled in Vienna, most of which are allegedly directed against the COVID measures.“Vienna police said in a statement on Friday.
The populist Austrian Freedom Party, whose leader Herbert Kickl tested positive for the virus this week and is isolating himself, was heavily promoting Saturday’s rally.
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The protests were planned after the government introduced measures targeting the unvaccinated this week, measures that have now been extended to all residents.
The Freedom Party has led a noisy minority of Austrians who have refused to be vaccinated and have staged sporadic protests in front of government buildings against COVID restrictions.
Daily cases of COVID-19 in Austria have soared to record levels this month, and deaths, while not increasing that much, have reached their highest level since last winter. Salzburg and Upper Austria currently have the highest incidence of 7-day COVID cases in Europe, according to the World Health Organization.
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Only about 65% of Austrians have been fully vaccinated, below the levels believed to create “herd immunity”Against the virus. The intensive care units are filling up.
That prompted Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg on Friday to demand that vaccinations be mandatory from February.
Austria’s 20-day lockdown will begin on Monday, and most restaurants, retail stores and cultural venues like museums and the opera will close.
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