Europe fights a new wave of the coronavirus pandemic which is leaving in some countries record of infections that had not been observed, if not, when the health crisis broke out. An epidemiological situation that, together with the low vaccination rates and the proximity of the Christmas season, worries the governments of the entire continent.
At the beginning of this rebound in infections, several countries opted for the implementation of the COVID passport to access any closed public space. However, this measure does not appear to have been sufficient to increase immunization rates. For this reason, they are already debating mandatory vaccination.
In Austria, from February 2022, vaccination will be mandatory for the entire target population. This is one of the Western European countries with the lowest immunization rates. Only 66% of the population has the complete guideline. Thus, whoever has not been inoculated with any of the serums against COVID-19, from next year may be severely sanctioned.
In addition, Austria has ordered a home confinement throughout the country for at least 20 days. Citizens will only be able to leave home to work, shop or practice sports outdoors, while all establishments that do not sell basic necessities will remain closed.
Austria wakes up confined today and will impose mandatory vaccination in February
At first, the Austrian government decided to confine only the unvaccinated population but eventually, this measure was extended to all citizens. A harsh restriction that has generated protests throughout the weekend.
Mandatory vaccination is also under discussion in Germany, since the obligation of the vaccination certificate to enter the closed spaces is not having the effect they expected. According to the latest data, in this country only 67.9% have the complete vaccination schedule.
For this reason, several members of the conservative bloc have transferred that the country should take the same path as Austria and impose mandatory immunization. In the same vein, the president of the Robert Koch Institute has spoken, that although he assures that “nobody wants” this measure, it should not be discarded “if everything else has already been tried.”
The Professional Association of Pediatrics and Juvenile Medicine and the Confederation for the Protection of Children have also spoken in favor of the mandatory vaccination for adults: “Vaccines contribute to a return to normality and the restoration of fundamental rights of all citizens “.
In Germany they are also studying applying mandatory immunization to increase vaccination rates
For its part, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, bars and clubs will close from November 24 for three weeks. This state will not open the Christmas markets and cultural and sporting events will only be able to be at 25% of its capacity. Likewise, meetings of a maximum of five people from two cohabiting nuclei will only be allowed if they are not vaccinated.
Nor do they rule out applying new restrictions in France, where the “fifth wave has started like lightning”, as pointed out by the spokesman for the French Government, Gabriel Attal. This has also indicated that the Executive closely follows the growth of the incidence for study new measures against the pandemic. “Today we are at 164 but it is most likely that we will exceed 200 in the next few days. If necessary, solutions will be sought at the local level so that these measures can be implemented in the simplest way possible,” he declared. Here, the percentage of the population with the complete pattern stands at 69.1%.
On Brussels, thousands of citizens have taken to the streets to protest against the COVID certificate, which since October must be used to access any establishment. In total, 40 people have been arrested after a demonstration that has gathered some 35,000 Belgians. Demonstrations that have also spread to the Netherlands, where bars and restaurants have to close at 8:00 p.m. and non-essential shops at 6 p.m. and sporting events no longer have an audience in their stands.
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
