By Tamsin Brown • Published: 16 Jan 2022 • 16:15
Photo by Mat Napo on Unsplash
Austria has decided to make vaccination mandatory for all over-18s, and people could face fines of up to 3,600 euros if they do not comply. On Sunday, January 16, the Austrian government announced that from February 1 the vaccination against COVID would be mandatory for all those over 18 years of age (around 7.4 million people). After an initial phase of transition and information, which will end on March 16, the Austrian police will carry out random checks to verify people’s vaccination statuses. From that moment, the unvaccinated residents of Austria could be fined 600 euros up to four times a year. The authorities will send a letter reminding all those who are unvaccinated that they should get the vaccine. If satisfactory levels of vaccination are not reached, there will be a third phase of implementation of the law, in which people will be given an obligatory appointment for vaccination. If the individual does not attend the appointment, they will be automatically fined up to 3,600 euros twice a year. Around 74% of the Austrian population has been fully vaccinated against coronavirus, which has caused almost 14,000 deaths in the country since the start of the pandemic. Under-18s, pregnant women and people with certain pathologies will be exempt from mandatory vaccination. Despite significant support in Parliament, with four of the five parties in favour, mandatory vaccination has caused controversy in Austria. ________________________________________________________________________ Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
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Originally from London, Tamsin is based in Malaga and is a local reporter for the Euro Weekly News covering Spanish and international news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.
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