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Austrians over the age of 18 will be required to get vaccinated, new law says

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Austria has moved closer to introducing a compulsory vaccination order after parliament’s lower house voted in favour of new government proposals.

The government initially wanted to cover everyone aged 14 and older, but now the measure only applies to adults, except pregnant women and those with a medical exemption.

The law, which is due to come into effect on 1 February, would make Austria the first European country to introduce a mandatory jab. From mid-March the law will see adults unvaccinated against Covid-19 subjected to fines of up to €3,600 ($4,078).

So far, 72% of Austrians have been fully vaccinated against the virus. The majority of parties supported the measure, with the new legislation passing with 137 votes in favour and 33 votes against it.  The only significant opposition came from the Freedom Party (FPOe).

FPOe leader Herbert Kickl railed against the law in Thursday’s charged parliamentary debate, claiming it “paves the way to totalitarianism in Austria”. He vowed that he himself would continue to refuse vaccination in defiance of the new law.

“Vaccination is an opportunity for our society to achieve lasting and continuous freedom, because the virus cannot restrict us any further,” centre-right Chancellor Karl Nehammer told reporters earlier ahead of the parliament debate.

Green Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein appealed during the debate on “all citizens to question myths around vaccination”, insisting that “all the evidence indicates that the vaccines available in Austria are safe”. “It is adopted with the (necessary) majority,” Doris Bures, second president of the National Council, said.

Tens of thousands have demonstrated against mandatory vaccination in regular weekend rallies since the measure was announced in November in a bid to drive up the country’s vaccination rate.

ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH 

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: POLITICO

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Paul Murdoch

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

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