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  6.  » Austria to put millions of unvaccinated people in Covid lockdown

Kate Connolly and Samantha Lock – The Guardian Nov 12, 2021

Austria is to introduce a lockdown for unvaccinated people in two of Europe’s worst-hit coronavirus regions from Monday and could extend it across the country, the chancellor, Alexander Schallenberg, has said.

Millions of people not fully vaccinated against Covid in the regions of Upper Austria and Salzburg will be allowed to leave their homes only for reasons considered essential to life, such as going to work, grocery shopping or visiting the doctor, Schallenberg said – measures believed to be unprecedented in Europe.

The restrictions are in line with recommendations from medical experts and will be monitored through random checks that the health minister, Wolfgang Mückstein, compared to traffic controls.

Separately, the German government said it planned to tighten restrictions against unvaccinated people, as infections in both countries soared to record highs and intensive care units faced increasing strain.

Schallenberg said regional leaders meeting on Sunday would approve the plans, which could then be applied across the country, and that spot checks would be used to enforce the lockdown.

“Unvaccinated people will only be allowed to leave their flats to go to work, for food shopping or when they need to stretch their legs,” he said.

He added that the measures relied on people using their common sense, because blanket controls were not possible.

“We don’t live in a police state and are not able – and nor do we want – to control every street corner,” he said.

 

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