Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced the lockdown during a press conference in Vienna — © REUTERS
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Austria introduces a lockdown for the unvaccinated. Those who are not fully vaccinated are only allowed to go to work or do essential errands. “Not an easy step, but unfortunately a necessary one,” said Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP). The rule would last ten days.
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Kim Clemens
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Anyone who has not been vaccinated is not allowed to go outside. In short, that is the thinking behind the new lockdown for unvaccinated people in Austria. The intention is that only those who have been fully vaccinated can participate in daily life. Everyone else must stay indoors, except to go to the doctor, to a workplace where telecommuting is not possible, or to buy food. The travel restrictions apply throughout the day, including weekends. The measure does not apply to children up to the age of twelve. Education continues as usual. Schools remain open, and students are tested three times a week.
“We are not taking this step lightly, but it is necessary to take it,” Alexander Schallenberg, chancellor only a month ago, said at a press conference. Initially, the lockdown for non-vaccinated people was foreseen in two states. Schallenberg already made it clear on Friday that he was in favor of an expansion of that system. On Sunday he would meet with the leaders of federal states, with the aim of giving the green light.
That has now been successful. The partial lockdown will come into effect for ten days from Monday. Previously, those who were not vaccinated or could not prove that they had been infected during the past 180 days were also limited in their actions. For example, it was already impossible for them to go to the hairdresser, to a restaurant or to sports facilities. The new measures go one step further. Schallenberg points to the delta variant, which means that the figures in Austria are rising again. The seven-day incidence is 814 per 100,000 inhabitants. Hospital admissions and the number of people in intensive care are also rising again.
“Outrageously low vaccination”
He also points to the “outrageously low vaccination coverage” in Austria. Recently, the number of vaccinations has exploded, but still just under 65 percent of Austrians are currently fully vaccinated. After Liechtenstein, this is the lowest number in Western Europe. “With such a low vaccination rate, we remain in a vicious circle,” says Schallenberg. “Our only way out of the pandemic is vaccination.”
The intention is that the partial lockdown will increase the willingness to vaccinate. About a third of Austrians are affected by the new measures. About two million people have not yet been vaccinated. The police have been asked to check whether everyone indeed has a pass, on pain of heavy fines.
Questions also arise about the measure. Experts have their doubts whether a lockdown for only the unvaccinated is possible and whether it can also work. It had previously been proposed to ask everyone to have thirty percent fewer contacts. In addition, a group of several dozen scientists in Austria has suggested that a vaccination certificate is not enough to go to a restaurant. They propose that anyone wishing to eat out should pass a PCR test, regardless of whether that person is vaccinated, cured or not.
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