Non-Vaccinated Austrians to Be Fined Starting From March 15

Since February 4, the mandate of imposing full and booster vaccination from Austrian citizens has entered force in the country. As a result, President Alexander Van der Bellen has signed the new law, according to which all adults residing in the country have to be vaccinated or risk being fined €600, starting from March 15.

Except for specific categories, such as pregnant people, those with health conditions affected by vaccines, and those who have been previously infected with COVID-19, the rest are required to get vaccinated, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

From March 15, authorities will begin conducting random checks for vaccination certificates, including traffic stops. Moreover, according to this vaccine mandate, which is set to expire on January 31, 2024, people can be fined up to four times a year, with fines increasing up to €3,400.

>> Austria to Shorten Vaccination Certificates’ Validity to 180 Days From February 1

According to The Times, the Austrian government plans to create an official registry of everyone who has been vaccinated and give those fined due vaccination dates, which can result in more fines.

However, the European Member States have adopted different approaches to the matter. For example, Germany, which, together with Austria, has some of the highest vaccination rollouts in the EU, intends to have more stringent measures in place. On the other hand, Denmark ended numerous COVID-19 imposed restrictions thanks to high vaccination rollouts.

Nonetheless, while authorities have decided to tighten COVID-19 rules, they have lifted the requirement for a pre-entry test, which was imposed previously as a preventive measure.

“From February 1, 2022, two-dose vaccinations are only valid for 180 days in Austria (exception: 210 days for under 18-year-olds). However, for ENTERING, the 270 days remain in place. The booster vaccination is valid for 270 days in both scenarios,” the Austrian authorities explained.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) data, 72.8 per cent of the Austrian population has received primary vaccination, about 2.3 per cent more than the average EU/EEA population uptake. Moreover, 54.1 per cent has received the booster shot.

Similarly, vaccination rates in Germany are amongst the highest in the EU, as 74 per cent is fully vaccinated and 52.8 per cent has received the additional dose.

On the other hand, Denmark has an average of 81.5 per cent fully vaccinated inhabitants, while 83.2 per cent is partially vaccinated, and 61.2 per cent received the booster shot.

In addition, the World Health Organisation (WHO) data reveals that 231,697 positive cases have been registered in Austria in the last seven days, in addition to 84 deaths. Moreover, since the pandemic started, 1,968,963 positive cases and 13,671 deaths have been registered.