Despite massive protests of those who are not willing to get vaccinated, Austria approved the vaccine mandate for its entire adult population. In other words, if you’re a citizen of the European country and officially an adult, you must get vaccinated for COVID starting February 1st or prepare to pay a fine of up to 3,600 euros.
The information is brought by AP News, and Lawmakers from the European country voted 137 to 33 in favor of the measure. The move will be Europe’s first vaccination mandate for all adults.
There are some exemptions
There are still some categories of people who aren’t forced to comply with the new vaccination rule from Austria. If you’re a pregnant woman, you have a certain medical condition that cannot allow you to get vaccinated, or you’ve recovered from COVID illness in the last six months, you can’t be obligated to get vaccinated.
But what motivation can it be behind such a drastic move like imposing COVID vaccination for pretty much all the adult population? According to the officials, the decision will ensure that the Austrian hospitals won’t be overwhelmed with COVID patients. Furthermore, the vaccination rate in the country is considered low.
Wolfgang Mueckstein, the Health Minister of Austria, called the new measure as being a “big, and, for the first time, also lasting step” in the fight of the country against the ongoing pandemic.
He declared, as quoted by AP News:
This is how we can manage to escape the cycle of opening and closing, of lockdowns,
That is why this law is so urgently needed right now.
Germany announced a while ago that it considers following suit and imposing mandatory vaccines as well. We’re eager to see if Austria’s neighbor will do likewise and if other countries will be next.
