Austria Sends Unvaccinated Into Lockdown—Here’s How Other Nations Are

Austria sent millions of unvaccinated people into lockdown Monday as it battles to contain record levels of Covid-19, the latest in a string of targeted restrictions as governments around the world crack down on vaccine holdouts in an effort to boost stagnant vaccination rates.2 million. That’s roughly how many people are believed to be affected by the new restrictions from Austria’s population of 9 million people. Relative to population, Austria has one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the world. According to data collated by Our World In Data, the daily number of new confirmed Covid-19 cases over the last week is below just Slovenia and Croatia. Schallenberg said the new measures were an attempt to raise the country’s “shamefully low” vaccination rate. Around 65% of the population is fully vaccinated, one of the worst vaccination rates in Western Europe. "We are not taking this step lightly, but unfortunately it is necessary," the chancellor said. Despite the ready availability of safe and effective vaccines in wealthy countries and the heavy toll of the pandemic, resistance to the shots remains high. The nationwide rules in Austria expand upon local restrictions in Upper Austria imposed Friday and are the latest restrictions to explicitly target vaccine holdouts for their role in perpetuating the pandemic. Weeks ago, the World Health Organization warned Europe was “once again, at the epicentre” of the pandemic. Cases and deaths have been rising there even as they largely fell around the world and the region now accounts for more than half of the average seven-day cases worldwide, according to Our World In Data. Countries across the bloc are implementing new restrictions in a bid to control rising infections, with the Netherlands implementing a soft lockdown Friday requiring venues like restaurants and cafes to shut early. Lockdown And Restrictions Resurface In Europe As Continent Battles Another Covid Surge (Forbes)Covid: Austria introduces lockdown for unvaccinated (BBC)Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus

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