Austria will become at the beginning of February the first country of Europe in making compulsory coronavirus vaccination, under penalty of high finesthe Austrian chancellor said on Sunday.
“As planned, we are going to make vaccination mandatory at the beginning of February” for adults, the conservative said at a press conference. Karl Nehammer, at the head of the country with the ecologists.
Throughout the week, the issue has been the subject of heated debates in Parliament but also among the population.
The issue deeply divides the country, where about 71.5% of people have the complete line of vaccination, a low figure compared to other Western countries.
“It is a sensitive project” but “in accordance with the Constitution,” insisted Nehammer. An “adaptation phase” is planned for those most reluctant to puncture “until mid-March,” he added.
“Afterwards, controls will be carried out” and not being vaccinated will constitute a “crime” with financial “penalties” of between 600 and 3,600 euros ($685 and $4,100), if it persists.
On Saturday, some 27,000 people demonstrated in the Austrian capital against the measure, claiming that it goes against individual freedoms.
The Austrian government has a large majority in Parliament: in addition to the conservatives and environmentalists, the leaders of the Social Democratic and Liberal parties support the text. Only the extreme right is opposed.
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx