Austrian authorities have announced that the country has decided to suspend its law requiring all adults to be vaccinated against COVID-19 disease.
The mandatory vaccine law was announced four months ago and began to be fully implemented in February. According to the rules established by law, all adults and fit people had to complete their vaccination by March 15, and the police had to carry out checks from that date. Those who did not comply with this provision risked fines of up to 3600 euros.
However, given the current state of COVID-19 in the country and the mild symptoms caused by the virus, Austrian Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler said the law would be temporarily suspended because the measure was not commensurate with the real situation.
In conclusion, those who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 until March 15 will no longer be required to do so. In addition, unvaccinated people will no longer be subject to restrictions. However, Edtstadler stressed that the regulatory framework will remain in place, suggesting that he could reintroduce the law if the situation of COVID-19 begins to deteriorate.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control reveals that 83,1% of the entire adult population in Austria has completed primary vaccination to date. In addition, 66,8% have already received an additional dose of vaccine.