Austria will introduce a lockdown for those who are not fully vaccinated from midnight on Monday, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced.

The decision must be formally made by the National Council on Sunday evening, but as the government parties have a majority in the relevant committee, this is considered a mere formality.

The corona situation in Austria is serious, says Schallenberg, pointing to the "embarrassingly" low vaccination rate as a contributing factor. If we help each other, we can break the fourth wave. The only way is to get vaccinated, he continues.

The new rules mean, among other things, that people over the age of twelve who cannot show a vaccination certificate or a certificate of recovery from COVID-19 must now stay at home. However, the curfew has certain exceptions, including allowing visits to the doctor and getting to and from vaccination clinics.

Even "basic religious needs" should be met, according to the APA news agency's compilation of what applies.

This will be checked and prosecuted very consistently, says Schallenberg.

In each one of the country's 95 districts, two extra police patrols will be deployed solely to check compliance with the new restrictions. No checks will be carried out in homes.

Unvaccinated people are already not welcome in pubs or at the hairdresser's. Around two million people are estimated to be covered by the lockdown, which will initially be in effect for ten days, but could be extended.

Starting Monday, Vienna will be the first region in the EU to start vaccinating children between the ages of five and 11. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has not yet approved any COVID-19 vaccine for use in such young children, but member states have the option to make their own decisions.

Source: TT