Austria Impose Lockdowns on Unvaccinated Citizens

The European country of Austria has become the first country in the EU to impose a lockdown on the unvaccinated citizens, which started Monday. Austria is also the first EU country to start inoculating children as young as five.

Surging infection rates have once again placed the EU at the heart of the global covid-19 epidemic. European governments are being forced to take action as the virus strengthens its grip on the continent. The Netherlands has already announced the region’s first partial lockdown of the winter.

Health officials in Austria report about 65% of its nine million people have been vaccinated.

The new restrictions for unvaccinated people have caused some blowback, with hundreds gathering in Vienna, Austria on Sunday to protest.

Meanwhile, in efforts to increase vaccination coverage, authorities in Vienna have also started vaccinating children between the ages of five and 11. Cartoons of ninja turtles and tigers adorned coronavirus vaccination booths welcome children at a convention complex serving as a vaccine clinic on Monday.

“Shamefully low” rate of unvaccinated residents

Vienna’s health authorities said some 10,000 appointments had been made for children and they had the capacity to innoculate 200 unvaccinated children a day.

The vaccinations of children come despite the European Medicines Agency not yet approving any vaccines for children aged 5-to-11.

However, Vienna’s Mayor Michael Ludwig said the covid-19 situation was serious. Furthermore, that the city had the right to pursue a more “determined path”.

The Austrian government hopes these new measures can stem the virus and take the pressure off struggling intensive care units. It also wants to drive up the “shamefully low” rate of unvaccinated residents.

The interior ministry has promised extra patrols to implement the lockdown on unvaccinated people. However, the new measures have been widely criticized as unenforceable. Furthermore, they are unlikely on their own to reduce contacts by the amount necessary to curb the virus.

Debates are already being aired about possible night-time curfews for everyone.