Austria will be the first EU country with compulsory anti-covid vaccination

Austria will be the first EU country with compulsory anti-covid vaccination

“Vaccination is the opportunity for our society to achieve sustainable and continuous freedom, without the virus limiting us,” said the conservative chancellor. Karl Nehammer to journalists before the opening of the parliamentary session.

It is “a topic of very intense debate,” he acknowledged.

The measure, announced in November to promote vaccination against the increase in infections, is supported by the Greens – a coalition partner of the Conservatives – and the Liberal and Social Democratic parties. Only the extreme right is opposed, hiding behind the protection of individual freedoms.

However, tens of thousands of Austrians have demonstrated against the bill almost every weekend, to which The government reinforced the protection of vaccination centers and anticovid tests.

Austria registers a record number of cases due to the spread of the variant Omicron. On Wednesday, almost 30,000 infections were registered in 24 hours.

About 72% of the 8.9 million inhabitants in Austria have the complete vaccination schedule, a figure lower than France or Spain.

According to figures from the Ministry of Health, one and a half million adults still need to be convinced to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Minors are not subject to this measure, which will be applied from mid-March to give time to those who are recalcitrant, who will first receive a summons letter.

Fines for noncompliance will range between 600 and 3,600 euros ($680 and $4,100), but will be lifted if the offender is vaccinated within two weeks.

Source From: Ambito

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