Austria: promulgation of the law on compulsory vaccination

The Austrian president promulgated the law on compulsory vaccination against the coronavirus on Friday, February 4, paving the way for its entry into force on Sunday, an unprecedented measure within the European Union (EU).

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“

”, announced the presidency in a press release.

It must still be published in the Official Journal, before its effective establishment on Sunday, according to the APA press agency.

Parliament had adopted the text on January 20 with a large majority, only the far right voting against.

More than 60% of Austrians support the measure

All residents over the age of 18 in this country of 8.9 million inhabitants are affected, with the exception of pregnant women, those who contracted the virus less than 180 days ago and finally those who can be exempted for medical reasons.

The checks will not begin until mid-March: sanctions may then be applied, for an amount varying from 600 to 3600 euros, but they will be lifted if the offender is vaccinated within two weeks.

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More than 60% of Austrians support the measure according to a recent survey, but large swathes of the population remain strongly opposed to it. For several weeks, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets since the announcement of the project in November to denounce a measure deemed radical and draconian. Criticisms have also emerged on the sense of the law in the face of the lower severity of the Omicron variant and the explosion in the number of cases.

The government also announced at the same time an upcoming relaxation of health restrictions, including against non-vaccinated people, who are currently excluded from restaurants, cultural and sports venues.

But for Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein, compulsory vaccination aims to protect against “

”, “

” which could appear in the months to come, he explained Thursday on Twitter.

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Less than 70% of the population have a complete vaccination schedule (with the obligation in most cases to present three doses), a lower percentage than that of France or Spain and which has fallen following the recent expiration of many certificates.

The vaccination pass is required in an increasing number of countries for certain professions or activities, but the anti-Covid vaccination compulsory for all remains an exception.