Nationwide lockdown in Austria sends Covid fears through global markets

Austria will enter a fourth national lockdown on Monday as Covid-19 cases continue to surge, becoming the first country in Western Europe to impose stringent measures this fall.

The country’s unvaccinated are already barred from leaving their homes for non-essential purposes.

Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced at a press conference on Friday that those lockdown measures would be extended to the entire country from Monday. The lockdown would last for a maximum of 20 days, Schallenberg said, but would initially be put in place for 10 days.

In a first for the region, he also announced that Covid vaccination would become mandatory in Austria from Feb. 1.

On Thursday, Austria recorded 15,145 new cases of Covid-19, setting a new record high for daily positive tests. Hospitalizations, deaths and the number of Covid patients in ICU are also rising fast in Austria.

Around 65% of Austria’s population has been fully vaccinated against the virus, which Schallenberg has previously described as “shamefully low.” The country has the second-lowest vaccination rate in Western Europe after Liechtenstein.

The Austrian Press Agency reported that government ministers were negotiating into the early hours of Friday to come up with action that could help curb Austria’s spiraling Covid crisis.

Implementing a countrywide lockdown marks a significant U-turn for Austria’s chancellor, who told reporters just last week that the two-thirds of the population who had accepted the immunization would not be forced to show “solidarity” with the unvaccinated.

The government’s original plan was to place unvaccinated people under lockdown once coronavirus patients occupied 30% of ICU beds in hospitals — a move that came into force on Monday.

However, the move had faced some criticism for being difficult to enforce, as unvaccinated people were still permitted some freedoms to go to work, do their grocery shopping and meet certain individuals outdoors.

Austrian police officers have been conducting random checks this week on people over the age of 12 — to whom the current lockdown applies if they are unvaccinated — to confirm individuals’ vaccine statuses.

While Schallenberg had previously rejected the notion of placing all Austrians under lockdown, some members of the country’s coalition government had been calling for tougher restrictions for the vaccinated as hospitals and ICU units came under increasing strain.

The government has been facing pushback from the country’s third-biggest party, the right-wing Freedom Party, which said Friday that “as of today, Austria is a dictatorship.”

The party has been openly skeptical about Covid vaccines, and had planned a demonstration in Vienna at the weekend against the lockdown measures imposed on the unvaccinated.

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[rogerbing]

People are not buying this propaganda anymore .

[heimdallvidarr]

Has nothing to do with your health or a “virus”

[TwinGoats]

End the tyranny, how much longer are we going to allow this???

[wambamshookeran]

Cases spiking regardless of vaccination rate but clearly a vaccine mandate will solve this.

[peterkennedey]

How is any of this legal in their laws? Absurd!

[ronpagala]

Year 2050: The covid Alpha Centauri variant and your mandatory 3000th booster jab is due and wear your mask!

[jasonrichards]

If you're trying to achieve zero infections, it ain't gonna happen. Just what exactly is the Austrian government trying to achieve?

[natekons]

Dude sounds so proud Italy enforced a mandate and pass. Does Europe ever reread their own history? They allow Civil liberty to be trampled so easily.

[Don.M.]

I feel for the people who have to be vaccinated against their will...The sick too, but losing the freedom to choose what goes into your own body is horrible.

[jasonrichards]

What if a 100% vaccination rate does not stop infections? Will the Austrian government apologize to the people for forcing them to be vaccinated?

[evetsc]

So we have no idea what is happening? Get a shot, and another shot. Continue to wear masks because getting a shot means nothing. In the US, mix and match because we have no idea what we are saying, but go Brandon.

[mypronounismaster]

Weird how so many more people are getting vaccinated yet Covid isn't declining.

[johnc.hammersticks]

How to manipulate the market for your global elitists to have a good Christmas.

[homiedclown]

A vaccine so effective you need a booster for it

[Captain_Caveman]

Makes me glad I live in Texas where we still have freedom of choice.

[hrk]

Never thought I'd be so relieved about Brexit and not being part of the EU

[shark]

Has never been about public safety, has always been about implementing social control under the guise of public safety..
“PAPERS PLEASE”.. It’s for your safety!

[zzz_ttt_]

mandatory what ? make mandatory eating healthy food, drinking clear water and having healthy environment around people. Make that mandatory!

[homelessjesse]

The EU won’t last past 2023. That’s my prediction.

[theinfamouslittleguy]

People will never see government overreach the same again -LGBFJB 😎