Vienna, October 27 (BNA): Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen opened the door to his residence in the palace in Vienna today, to recipients of the Covid-19 vaccine, who finally decided to get the vaccine.
Van der Bellen invited up to 300 people to roll up their sleeves in the rooms of the Hofburg Imperial Palace in the center of the Austrian capital.
His office said 230 people had pre-registered and others lined up automatically to get an injection from workers from the Johanniters Aid Group, according to the German news agency (dpa).
Van der Bellen said he wants to do his part to increase uptake of the vaccine. So far, 63.7% of the population has been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
A few anti-vaccination protesters demonstrated in front of the palace and demanded that Austria lift all coronavirus restrictions.
It was announced last week that most employees in Austria will have to prove they have been vaccinated, tested negative for the virus or have recovered from Covid-19 starting November 1.
The Austrian government said on Friday that unvaccinated people could face lockdown measures if intensive care capacity begins to strain.
Depending on the family’s occupancy, they will no longer be allowed to go to bars or to cultural and sporting events. Under certain harsh conditions, they may not be allowed to leave their homes at all without good reason.
HF