Austria to introduce nationwide lockdown and compulsory vaccination – TVNOVINY.sk

Austria will introduce a nationwide lockdown from Monday and will require mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 from February. Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced it on Friday. The lockdown should last for a maximum of 20 days with a reassessment of the situation after ten days. APA and DPA reported.

Conservative Chancellor Schallenberg announced the new measures on Friday morning during a press conference after talks with the representatives of the individual federal states.

“It simply came to our notice then. But given the number of infections, we must take such measures, “said Schallenberg.

According to the AFP agency, a lockdown means that people are not allowed to leave their homes, with a few exceptions, such as shopping for basic necessities or sports.

According to the AP agency, Austrian students will have to return to distance education. Restaurants will be closed and cultural events will be canceled.

According to Reuters, Austria will be the first country in Western Europe to reintroduce a full closure this autumn in order to face a new wave of the pandemic, and it will also be the first country to order its entire population to be vaccinated. Citizens will have to meet this obligation by February 2022.

Vaccination rates in Austria are among the lowest in Western Europe – about 66 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.

We are constantly updating the report