(CNN) — An Austrian brothel offers free admission vouchers to encourage men to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Vienna’s “Funpalast” brothel, which describes itself as a “saunaclub of sex stars” on its website, distributes vouchers, worth 40 euros (US $ 46.36) to anyone over the age of 40. 18 years old who agrees to be vaccinated at your clinic.
The offer takes place every Monday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and comes after the Austrian government banned unvaccinated customers from accessing certain public spaces, such as restaurants, hotels and cafes, as of Monday.
The so-called “2G rule” was introduced in response to an increase in COVID-19 cases, and it will serve as an “incentive for people to go get vaccinated,” Austrian head of government Alexander Schallenberg said.
“People come here to have fun, and so we help our government a little bit to get people vaccinated,” Funpalast owner Christoph Lielacher told CNN on Tuesday.
The club has been significantly affected by the covid-19 pandemic, having lost “around 30 to 40%” of its clients, “according to Lielacher.
“The business is not that good because many people do not come for fear of the coronavirus, and we have many government regulations. We have the 2G standard, so you cannot enter any pub or any restaurant or bar,” he said.
Lielacher explained to CNN that the Funpalast vaccine clinic is like any other clinic and that it has a doctor who explains the risks to clients before they get vaccinated.
The voucher offer is being very popular. The clinic handed out 149 vaccines Monday and all patients accepted a voucher, Lielacher said.
While male patrons have free access to the brothel, women are not allowed in, so they are offered a voucher to the nearby fitness club, “so everyone can come,” Lielacher added.
He stressed that, although the vouchers for men give free entry, they do not include sex with the prostitutes who work there: “You can also have sex, but you have to pay for sex.”
According to data from the Universidad Johns Hopkins, 63.77% of the Austrian population is vaccinated against covid-19 so far.
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