The chancellor announces that from next month the compulsory nature of antivirals will come into force, under penalty of economic sanctions
Austria will convert from February 1st in the first country in the world that requires all its adult citizens to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. This was announced this Sunday by the Austrian Chancellor, Karl Newhammer, at a press conference. Announcement that dates a measure already advanced weeks ago to combat the spread and effects of the pandemic and that will be accompanied by a package of sanctioning measures for those who decline to be immunized. The chancellor has announced controls to verify whether or not citizens are vaccinated and failure to be will constitute an offense punishable by fines of between 600 and 3,600 euros, according to recidivism.
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The Austrian Government, supported by a conservative party, moves to increase the percentage of vaccinated Austrians. Currently, 71.5% of the population is immunized with a double regimen, a low proportion compared to other countries of the European Union with comparable income and composition. Mandatory vaccination “is a sensitive project” but “in accordance with the Constitution”, which, however, requires “an adaptation” that allows opponents to be vaccinated “until mid-March”, according to Nehammer. On Thursday of this coming week, the Austrian Parliament is scheduled to vote on this bill, which has finally ruled out including the obligation to immunize over 14 years old.
The measure has not been without opposition and a day before the chancellor’s announcement, the extreme right called a massive demonstration in Vienna against the mandatory vaccine. Some 30,000 people gathered in the capital to express their rejection, in a meeting in which known and condemned right-wing extremists and neo-Nazi militants participated. The Austrian government has a large majority in the chamber to go ahead with the measure and only the extreme right is against it. In addition to the Conservatives and the Greens -members of the Executive-, the leaders of the Social Democratic and Liberal parties support the text.
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