UNVACCINATED COULD FACE NEW LOCKDOWN IN AUSTRIA, CHANCELLOR WARNS

Sun 24 October 2021:

If the number of coronavirus cases in Austria continues to climb, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg has warned that unvaccinated people may face further lockdown restrictions.

The announcement came during a Friday evening meeting between Schallenberg and state leaders to discuss how to deal with rapidly rising case numbers.

“The pandemic is not yet in the rearview mirror,” Schallenberg said. “We are about to stumble into a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

If the number of COVID-19 patients in critical care units reaches 500, or 25% of the country’s entire ICU capacity, Schallenberg announced that access to companies such as restaurants and hotels will be restricted to people who have been vaccinated or have recovered from the virus.

The government aims to put limitations on unvaccinated people if the number reaches 600, or one-third of total ICU capacity. They would only be allowed to leave their homes for particular reasons in this situation.

Currently, the number of COVID-19 patients in ICUs stands at 220.

According to health officials, Austria has reported 20,408 new cases of the virus in the last week, raising the seven-day average to 228.5 per 100,000 people. That rate had been 152.5 per 100,000 people a week before.

Despite the government’s efforts to urge residents to be vaccinated, vaccination rates have declined in recent months. Approximately 65.4 percent of the population has got one dose of the vaccination, with 62.2 percent are fully vaccinated.

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