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VIENNA: Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said Friday he wanted to introduce a nationwide lockdown for those not vaccinated against or recovered from the coronavirus, as cases rapidly rise.
“The aim is clear: we want on Sunday to give the green light for a nationwide lockdown for the unvaccinated,” Schallenberg told a press conference.
The states of Upper Austria and Salzburg, which have seen some of the worse case rates, are already introducing the lockdown for the unvaccinated as of Monday.
In order for the measure to apply nationwide, it will have to be signed off by parliament and a meeting of the heads of regional government over the weekend.
Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein also announced on Friday that he would order compulsory vaccination for health workers.
Some 64 percent of the population is fully vaccinated in Austria, which is below the EU-wide average of some 67 percent.
Schallenberg described the vaccination rate as “shamefully low”.
So far, more than 11,640 people infected with the new coronavirus have died in Austria.
“The aim is clear: we want on Sunday to give the green light for a nationwide lockdown for the unvaccinated,” Schallenberg told a press conference.
The states of Upper Austria and Salzburg, which have seen some of the worse case rates, are already introducing the lockdown for the unvaccinated as of Monday.
In order for the measure to apply nationwide, it will have to be signed off by parliament and a meeting of the heads of regional government over the weekend.
Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein also announced on Friday that he would order compulsory vaccination for health workers.
Some 64 percent of the population is fully vaccinated in Austria, which is below the EU-wide average of some 67 percent.
Schallenberg described the vaccination rate as “shamefully low”.
So far, more than 11,640 people infected with the new coronavirus have died in Austria.
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