Austrian chancellor threatens lockdown for unvaccinated

VIENNA — Unvaccinated radical successful Austria could look caller lockdown restrictions if coronavirus lawsuit numbers proceed to rise, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said Friday night.

The quality came aft a Friday evening gathering betwixt Schallenberg and state-level leaders to sermon their effect to rapidly expanding lawsuit numbers.

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

Schallenberg announced that if the fig of COVID patients successful intensive-care units reaches 500, oregon 25 percent of the country’s full ICU capacity, entranceway into businesses specified arsenic restaurants and hotels volition beryllium constricted to those who are vaccinated oregon recovered from the virus.

If the fig reaches 600, oregon one-third of full ICU capacity, the authorities plans to enforce restrictions connected unvaccinated people. In this case, they would lone beryllium allowed to permission their homes for circumstantial reasons.

Currently, the fig of COVID patients successful ICUs stands astatine 220.

In the past week, Austria has reported 20,408 caller cases of the virus, according to wellness authorities, bringing the 7-day mean to 228.5 per 100,000 inhabitants. A week earlier, that fig was astatine 152.5 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Although Austria’s authorities has encouraged citizens to get vaccinated, the effort has slowed successful caller months. Some 65.4% of the full colonisation has received 1 dose of the vaccine, and 62.2% are afloat vaccinated.