(Photo : Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP) (Photo by JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images)
Austrian minister for European affairs Karoline Edtstadler speaks at a press conference after her meeting with French minister for European affairs at the Austrian chancellery in Vienna, Austria, on November 9, 2020. - After the recent attacks in both countries, the Ministers offered their condolences and discussed about an European answer to terrorism.
The Austrian federal government is imposing a $4,000 fine on residents who refuse to get vaccinated against the coronavirus infection that they will have to pay every three months in an attempt to boost the country's inoculation rates.
The new rule will affect residents who are 14 years and older and is set to take effect in February. On Nov. 19, the Austrian government announced its plans to impose a general vaccine mandate that will start on Feb. 1. Currently, the region only has a 68% vaccination rate, one of the lowest across Western Europe.
Vaccine Mandate Fine
The $4,000 fine on unvaccinated individuals who are not exempted will have to pay a varying amount based on their income and other financial obligations. The Cabinet minister who handles constitutional issues, Karoline Edtsadler, said that the Austrian government still had an obligation and a need to increase vaccination coverage. The official said the decision was made to prevent the implementation of more lockdowns in the country.
Eligible exemptions to the new rule will include pregnant women, even if they are advised to get vaccinated against the coronavirus infection. Additionally, those who are unable to get the shots due to various medical reasons will not be fined as well as individuals who have been infected and recovered from the virus in the past six months, said Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein, the New York Daily News reported.
The situation comes as many Austrians are doubtful of the efficacy and safety of the coronavirus vaccines, a view which is shared and encouraged by the far-right Freedom Party, the Parliament's third-biggest party. Three weeks ago, the country recorded peak numbers of coronavirus cases, forcing authorities to enforce a fourth national lockdown and make vaccinations mandatory for everyone.
During a news conference on Thursday that was attended by Edtsadler and Mueckstein, the minister for constitutional affairs said that the government was not trying to punish unvaccinated residents. Instead, the official said they wanted to win people over and convince them to choose to get the vaccination to protect themselves and their fellow countrymen.
Low Vaccination Rates
The vaccine mandate will last until January 2024 and must be approved by parliament but already has two opposition parties supporting it, arguing that it would easily pass. Mueckstein said they would have quarterly vaccination deadlines and have authorities check a central vaccination register to check who is in it, Aljazeera reported.
In shortened proceedings, Austrian government officials could fine residents up to $680. The new vaccine mandate will have authorities reminding residents to get vaccinated every three months or have a medical doctor certify their right to be exempted before the next cutoff date.
Edtsadler said that there were still more than a million Austrians who have yet to get vaccinated against the coronavirus infection. A number that the official said was "too many" and added that the government wanted to show solidarity with everyone so the region can regain its freedom.
The enforcement of the latest lockdown caused Austria's seven-day infection rate to decline, recording only 432.6 cases per 100,000 residents, a decrease from the day before the lockdown which recorded more than 1,100 cases, Fox News reported.
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