Austrians who flout vaccine mandate face fines up to $4,000

Berlin, Dec. 8 (BNA): Austria plans to impose fines of up to 3,600 euros (about $4,000) on people who violate the mandate for a coronavirus vaccine that it aims to introduce in February to all 14-year-olds, the Austrian Health Minister said Thursday. and more. .

The government announced last month that it would implement a general mandate for the vaccine early next year, becoming the first European country to do so. The Associated Press (AP) has reported that it has worked out the details of the bill in recent weeks, with the support of two of the three opposition parties in Parliament.

Health Minister Wolfgang Mikstein said there will be exemptions for pregnant women – although he stressed that vaccinations are recommended for them as well – for people who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons, and for people who have previously recovered from COVID-19. six months.

The legislation is set to enter into force on February 1. McStein said people who qualify for exemptions should register those with the Central Immunization Registry, which will be checked at regular three-month intervals. The first deadline will be March 15th.

For people who have not been vaccinated or exempted, the draft anticipates triggering measures that could result in a fine of 3,600 euros. People’s income and other financial obligations will be taken into account when calculating fines. Alternatively, officials can choose to impose a fine of up to 600 euros (about $680) in summary proceedings.

Authorities will write to unvaccinated people every three months reminding them to get their vaccinations or to get a doctor to certify their right to exemption before the next deadline. If they continue to fail to comply, fines can be imposed every three months. Proceedings will be dropped if people provide evidence of vaccination in the meantime.

About 68% of Austria’s population of 8.9 million are vaccinated, a relatively low rate in Western Europe. Neighboring Germany, where the rate is just over 69%, is also looking to introduce a general mandate for a vaccine early next year, although plans have yet to be made and officials say they will allow lawmakers to vote on their conscience rather than party. lines.

Austria’s announcement that it would introduce a general authorization for vaccines came on November 19 – at the same time the government decided to lock down the country to curb the increase in new infections. That lockdown is set to end on Sunday, although restrictions on unvaccinated people remain.

“We still have an obligation and a need to increase vaccination coverage so that we don’t go from lockdown to lockdown, next year as well,” said Caroline Edstadler, the minister responsible for constitutional issues.

“There are still over a million Austrians who have not been vaccinated. I am saying very clearly that we do not want to punish people who have not been vaccinated,” she added. We want to bring them with them, we want to convince them of this vaccination and we want them to show solidarity with everyone so that we can get our freedom back.”

The country’s infection rate fell for seven days during the lockdown. It stood at 432.6 new cases per 100,000 residents on Thursday, down from more than 1,100 on the day the lockdown began.

FKN