There has been talk of this for days, now it's getting serious: Unvaccinated people in Austria are only allowed to leave their homes for urgent reasons.
The result: the willingness to vaccinate is growing significantly.
Vienna - In the fight against the fourth wave of the corona pandemic, a lockdown for unvaccinated people will apply in Austria from this Monday.
This was decided by Federal Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg and the heads of government of the federal states on Sunday in Vienna.
The far-reaching exit restrictions are initially limited to ten days.
About two million people are affected.
The police want to set up special patrols to monitor compliance with the regulations.
Violations can result in a fine of up to 1450 euros.
Those who have neither been vaccinated nor recovered are only allowed to leave the house or apartment for urgent reasons - for example, for daily purchases, for commuting to work, visiting the doctor or taking a walk that is deemed necessary.
The aim is to increase the willingness to vaccinate and to reduce social contacts by about 30 percent, said Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein.
Nocturnal exit restrictions are possible for everyone
The Austrian federal government is also thinking of night exit restrictions for all citizens.
This proposal is on the table and will be decided next Wednesday, said Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens) on Sunday evening in the ORF news program "ZiB2".
“We're all in the same boat,” said Mückstein.
If a general lockdown is to be prevented, a reduction in contact between people is imperative, the minister added.
The restrictions would apply from 10 p.m. and would also mean that night restaurants would be closed again.
In the middle of the week we will see whether this measure has already worked, Mückstein added.
He emphasized again that the extent of the fourth corona wave was mainly due to the unvaccinated.
Incidence increased to 815
The seven-day incidence per 100,000 inhabitants in Austria has now risen to around 815. The lockdown does not apply to students. "In schools, things are going on as before," said Schallenberg, with a view to the fact that several tests per week are already common there. "We are not taking this step lightly," assured the Chancellor. But the numbers are clear.
Among the unvaccinated, the seven-day incidence per 100,000 inhabitants is more than 1700, according to Schallenberg. It is now important to finally increase the "shamefully low" vaccination rate of around 65 percent. "With this vaccination quota we will get stuck in a vicious circle." Austria has a population of almost nine million. The Chancellor also said that the measures on the part of the federal government are the "lower edge" of the possibilities. The countries would be free to enact even stricter rules.
The restrictions for unvaccinated people are already great - for example due to the 3G rule (vaccinated, recovered or tested) in the workplace and the 2G rule (vaccinated or recovered) in public life.
Due to the tightening since the beginning of November, the number of vaccinations skyrocketed and is now back at the level of July.
Those who decide to have a primary vaccination can test themselves out of lockdown with subsequent PCR tests.
Step preferred due to high dynamics
According to a step-by-step plan by the government, the lockdown for unvaccinated persons should actually only come when 600 intensive care beds have been occupied.
According to the authorities, 433 places are currently occupied.
Due to the dynamic in the number of infections, however, the government has now taken this step forward.
In order to avoid excessive stress on the clinics, experts are calling for a lockdown for everyone.
The government wants to avoid that.
It should be prevented that the willingness to vaccinate decreases again.
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Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen also joined the discussion.
"In view of the extremely rising numbers, the mood in our population ranges from depression and concerns about economic progress to mutual incomprehension and aggression," wrote the head of state on Facebook.
In view of the threatening situation, the country needs clarity and perhaps also uncomfortable measures.
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This means that travelers and commuters have had to comply with stricter rules since Sunday.
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