The unvaccinated lockdown in Austria will start from midnight on November 14th. Those who are not immunized will only be able to leave home to work, shop or go for a walk. And, of course, to get vaccinated.
Authorities are concerned about the tightness of hospitals, which are struggling to manage the growing influx of Covid-19 patients. “It is our job as the government of Austria to protect the people,” Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said, “So we have decided that from Monday there will be a lockdown for the unvaccinated.”
The decision to impose the lockdown on the unvaccinated starting from tomorrow “was not taken lightly”, added the chancellor, but “with the vaccination rates we have, we are stuck in a vicious circle” of infections. Schallenberg complained about the “shamefully low” rate of vaccinated, just over 63% of the population. This is the worst percentage among Western European countries.
According to the Austrian news agency Apa, the lockdown will affect about 2 million people in a country that has 8.9 million inhabitants. It will not apply to children under the age of 12 because they cannot yet be vaccinated. The lockdown will initially last 10 days and police have been asked to check people around to make sure they are vaccinated, Schallenberg said.