AUSTRIA PLANS TO FINE VACCINE HOLDOUTS UP TO $4,000 A QUARTER

Fri 10 December 2021:

Austria’s conservative-led government has detailed its plan to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory for those aged 14 and older, stating that non-compliance will result in fines of up to 3,600 euros ($4,071) per three months.

“We do not want to punish people who are not vaccinated. We want to win them over and convince them to get vaccinated,” the minister for constitutional affairs, Karoline Edtstadler, told a news conference with Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein on Thursday.

The vaccine mandate, which requires parliament’s approval, is set to begin on February 1 and run until January 2024. It has the support of two opposition parties, implying that it will pass easily.

“If that is not the case, proceedings will be brought. In regular proceedings the amount of the fine is 3,600 euros,” Mueckstein said, adding people’s income and other financial obligations will be taken into account in calculating fines.

“As an alternative, the authorities have the option to impose a fine in shorter proceedings immediately after the vaccination deadline. Here the amount of the fine is 600 euros,” he said, adding that if this was not paid it would lead to regular proceedings.

There will be exemptions for pregnant women – though immunizations are still recommended for them – for those who are unable to get vaccinated due to medical reasons, and for persons who have recovered from COVID-19 in the preceding six months, according to Mueckstein.

He also stated that persons who are qualified for exemptions must have their exemptions recorded in a central vaccination registry, which would be verified every three months. The first deadline will be March 15th.

Austria has one of the lowest rates of COVID-19 vaccination in Western Europe, with about 68 percent of the population fully vaccinated.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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