People wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus as they walk in front of St. Stephen on Wednesday in Vienna, Austria.
Michael Gruber / AP
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Michael Gruber / AP
VIENNA – Austria will begin a nationwide lockdown to prevent a fourth wave of coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Alexander Schallenberg announced on Friday, as new COVID-19 cases hit a record high amid the pandemic. outbreak across Europe.
The shutdown will begin on Monday and will initially last for 10 days, Schallenberg said.
And starting February 1, the country will also make vaccinations mandatory.
Most shops will be closed, and cultural events will be canceled next week. People will be able to leave the house only for a number of specific reasons, including grocery shopping, going to the doctor, or exercising.
Wolfgang Mueckstein, the country’s health minister, said that kindergartens and schools would remain open for those who needed to go there but that all parents were asked to keep their children at home if possible.
“We don’t want a fifth wave,” Schallenberg said, according to ORF. “We also don’t want a sixth or seventh wave.”
The total lockdown is the latest attempt to control the rapidly growing number of cases. This is the fourth nationwide shutdown since the pandemic broke out last year. On Friday, the country reported 15,809 new infections, an all-time high.
Earlier this month, Austria introduced the rules ban unvaccinated people from restaurants, hotels and major events.
And starting Monday, the government will impose National lockdown is for unvaccinated people only.
Government officials have long promised that vaccinated people will no longer face restrictions on vaccination bans: In the summer then Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced that the pandemic had ” terminated” for those vaccinated. But as virus infections continue to soar, the government says it has no choice but to expand it to everyone.
“This is very painful,” Schallenberg said.
Health Minister Mueckstein said many factors contributed to the current situation, including Austria’s lower-than-expected vaccination rate and the seasonal impact of the virus. But he also apologized for the initial reluctance of state and federal leaders to take stronger measures.
“Unfortunately, even we as the federal government have fallen short of our standards in some areas,” he said. “I want to apologize for that.”
After 10 days, the effect of the lock will be evaluated. If the virus cases have not completely subsided, a maximum period of 20 days can be extended.
Austrian intensive care doctors welcomed the government’s decision.
Walter Hasibeder, president of the Society of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, said: “The record numbers of infections that we experience day in and day out will only be reflected in the intensive care and general care units. Critical Care and Critical Care Medicine, told the Austrian news agency APA.
He added: “Given current developments in infection, we believe there is no alternative to even more recent exposure restrictions, so any measure that helps limit the Contagion are welcome.
Over the past seven days, the country has reported more than 10,000 new infections per day. Hospitals have been overwhelmed with many new COVID-19 patients and deaths have also increased again. So far, 11,951 people have died from the virus in Austria.
The situation is particularly dire in the regions of Salzburg and Upper Austria, which have been hit hard by the rising number of cases. In Salzburg, for example, the seven-day rate of new infections is nearly double the national average.
Hospitals in both states have warned in recent days that their ICUs have reached capacity, and Salzburg hospitals have begun discussing potential relief procedures to handle only the worst cases. Best.
Austria, a country of 8.9 million people, has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe – only 65.7% of the population is fully vaccinated.
Mr. Schallenberg said that despite all the persuasion and advocacy, too few people decided to get vaccinated, leaving the country with no choice but to introduce mandatory vaccinations in February.
The prime minister said details would be finalized in the coming weeks but those who continue to refuse vaccinations will have to expect fines. In addition, booster shots are now available to all who receive the vaccine starting four months after the second dose.
“For a long time, the consensus in this country was that we don’t want mandatory vaccinations,” says Schallenberg. “For a long time, probably too long.”
