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Coronavirus: Austria reimposes lockdown, makes vaccination mandatory as cases soar
- Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said the lockdown will start from Monday and last 20 days
- Vaccination against Covid-19 will be made compulsory from February 1
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Austria will reimpose a lockdown for all and make vaccinations mandatory, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced on Friday, making the country the first in the EU to take such stringent measures as coronavirus cases spiral.
Other European countries are also tightening restrictions as Covid-19 cases surge across the continent, but so far none have reimposed full lockdowns and only the Vatican has mandated vaccinations for all.
The lockdown will start on Monday, while vaccination against Covid-19 in the Alpine nation will become mandatory from February 1 next year, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said.
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The confinement will initially last 20 days with an evaluation after 10 days, he said.
“Despite months of persuasion, we have not succeeded in convincing enough people to get vaccinated,” Schallenberg told a press conference in the western Tyrol state, where he met regional government heads.
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“Sustainably increasing the vaccination rate is the only way to get out of this vicious circle,” he said.
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