Austria may impose strict restrictions on unvaccinated

Austria’s chancellor has stepped up threats of lockdown measures for unvaccinated people, as new coronavirus cases in the Alpine nation are soaring, Report informs referring to the Associated Press.

The country’s worst-affected province said it plans to take that step next week.

Austria has taken a series of measures in recent weeks in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 and encourage more people to get vaccinated. On November 8, new rules took effect barring unvaccinated people who haven’t recovered from an infection from restaurants, hotels, hairdressing salons and large public events.

Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said late last month that unvaccinated people in Austria could face new lockdown restrictions if infection numbers continue to rise - which they have. On November 11, official figures showed 760.6 reported new cases per 100,000 residents over the previous seven days - a rate three times that of neighboring Germany, where record numbers also are causing alarm.

About 65% of the population is fully inoculated.