Austria orders nationwide lockdown for unvaccinated

Austria orders nationwide lockdown for unvaccinated people as cases surge.

Unvaccinated people in Austria will face lockdown from Sunday midnight. They will be banned from exiting their homes from midnight unless they are carrying out basic activities such as shopping, going to work or going for a walk.

Around 2 million people are expected to be affected by the new restrictions. Anyone who has been vaccinated will not have to take part in the new lockdown. The Austrian government has been warning for some time now that the movement of people who are not vaccinated could be restricted as the number of cases has risen.

The uptake of the vaccine has been slow in Austria compared to the rest of Europe. Only around 65 per cent of people have opted to have the vaccine and have been fully vaccinated.

The new rules mean unvaccinated people face fines for breaking lockdown. The fines are said to be up to the value of €1,450.

The new lockdown rules have caused much controversy already. Demonstrators have taken to the streets.

On Sunday, November 14, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg commented: “It’s our job as the government of Austria to protect the people.

“Therefore we decided that starting Monday… there will be a lockdown for the unvaccinated.”

He went on to add: “The situation is serious… We don’t take this step with a light heart but unfortunately it is necessary.”

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