Article author:
Reuters
Vienna — Austria said it is unlikely that this measure, suspended since March, would raise one of the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe, and discontinued compulsory COVID-19 vaccination of adults. Health Minister Johanneslauf said Thursday.
"Vaccination mandate does not allow anyone to be vaccinated. According to a survey, 13% of people living in Austria are not vaccinated despite their vaccination mandate. Let's do it, "Rauf of the Green Party said at a press conference.
This rule is the only such drastic obligation in the European Union and requires vaccines for all adults, with a few exceptions.
When the bill was introduced in February, there were no penalties for non-compliance, but the government suspended the mandate in March, six days before the fine was imposed.
At the time, the government said the symptoms of the new Omicron variant were less severe and the burden on hospitals was less due to the imbalance of compulsory vaccination. (Report by Francois Murphy, edited by Jon Boyle)
