Austria issues locked down orders for the unvaccinated

Reuters reported on how “Austria announced on Friday it is barring those not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 from cafes, restaurants and hairdressers as infections approach the record set a year ago and the government struggles to convince holdouts to get the shot.”

Areas which will be off limits to the unvaccinated include hotels, restaurants, hair dressers and ski lifts. Unvaccinated will still be permitted to go to their place of work. Thus, the unvaccinated may be excluded from the restaurant, the unvaccinated waiter would not be excluded. The rationale being, the waiter is going to a place of work, the clientele is engaging in leisure activity.

Excluding access to skiing, the national winter sport of Austria, may be the impetus necessary to push the vaccine reluctant over the line to get their jab.

Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said: “I don’t see why two-thirds should lose their freedom because one-third is dithering… A lockdown for the unvaccinated means one cannot leave one’s home unless one is going to work, shopping [for essentials], stretching one’s legs… Exactly what we all had to suffer through in 2020.”

During the four-week transition period, individuals with only the first vaccination will have to produce a PCR test to garner admission to locales the unvaccinated are banned. After the four weeks (i.e. beginning of December) only the fully vaccinated and those recently recovered from COVID will be allowed entrance.

While approximately one-third of the population hasn’t received their first jab, the government nonetheless is urging vaccinated citizens to receive a third dose of the COVID vaccine. For information on the current COVID levels in Austria, the government’s COVID information dashboard is available to peruse.

More European nations follow Austria into lockdown

As the countries of the EU collectively are accounting for approximately one-half of 7-day average global COVID infections and deaths, various governments are looking at means to mitigate the spread of COVID. An example comes from The Netherlands which entered a partial lockdown on 13 November for a period of three weeks. “Tonight we are bringing a very unpleasant message with very unpleasant and far-reaching measures,” Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in a televised address on Friday evening, “The virus is everywhere and needs to be combated everywhere.” The partial lockdown restricts the hours of various business to include, restaurants, bars, and non-essential businesses. More than 80 percent of the country has been vaccinated, which Rutte noted was the reason the country’ medical system was not been overwhelmed. He is looking to parliament for means to restrict access to indoor venues for the unvaccinated.