Europe has once again become the focus of the pandemic, pushing some countries, including Germany and Austria, to reinstate restrictions ahead of Christmas and sparking debate over whether vaccines alone are enough to tame the virus.
THE Austria will impose a total, national lockdown from Monday and make it mandatory to vaccinate the population from February 1st. It thus becomes the first country in the European Union to take such measures to address the resurgence of the Covid epidemic.
“We have to face reality,” Austrian Chancellor Alexander Salenberg told a news conference in Tyrol, following talks with all Austrian regional governors.
“Despite months of persuasion, we have not been able to persuade enough people to be vaccinated,” he said, criticizing the oversaturation of intensive care units in the country’s hospitals.
“Increasing the vaccination rate is the only way out of the vicious circle,” said Alexander Salenberg, noting that the vaccine is the “exit ticket” from the pandemic.
The Austrian Chancellor clarified that the lockdown will last a maximum of 20 days.
In Europe, the pandemic is re-igniting and many countries, such as Sweden, Germany and Greece, have announced tightening restrictions in recent days.
As of last Monday in Austria, the two million unvaccinated people were no longer allowed to leave their homes except for shopping, sports or medical care.
From now on, the lockdown measure applies to the total population of 8.9 million inhabitants, where the vaccination rate is 66%, according to AFP (to 63.9% on 17/11, according to the Politico count ), despite the introduction of the vaccination certificate in the spring.
The restrictive measures implemented a few days ago caused an increase in the number of appointments for vaccination measures.
However, the number of cases continues to rise and is at levels unprecedented since the outbreak of the epidemic: yesterday Austria recorded 15,000 cases of the virus in the last 24 hours.
Germany announces “de facto lockdown” for the unvaccinated and general lockdown for outbreaks
In Germany, in a general lockdown for areas particularly affected by the coronavirus, “de facto lockdown for the unvaccinated” and extensive restrictions across the state, Bavaria proceeds from the middle of next week for three weeks, canceling, among other things, all outdoor Christmas markets and closing bars and clubs. “We are blocking, we are slowing down, we are strengthening,” is the slogan of the day, said Bavarian Prime Minister Marcus Zender recently, justifying the government’s decisions, referring to the dramatic situation in the region’s hospitals and the extremely low vaccination rate.
Especially for the areas of Bavaria that are considered outbreaks of coronavirus, Mr. Zender announced a “hard emergency brake”. Only kindergartens and schools, retail (at the condition of one customer per 20 sq.m.), nursing homes and rehabilitation centers will continue their operation with diagnostic tests. In these areas, restaurants, sports and cultural facilities will be closed, and meetings of up to five people from up to two households will be allowed, excluding children under 12 years old. “These measures affect the whole Alpine region,” he explained.
As for the rest of the state, from now on sporting and cultural events will only be allowed on a much smaller scale, with only 25% of the maximum capacity and the 2G + Rule (access only to vaccinated and recovering people, who will have additionally undergone a diagnostic test). The curfew returns from 22:00 and all clubs and bars, except for the Christmas markets, close immediately.
The fourth wave of the pandemic hitting the country is worse and more semicircular. As a result, its impact is very serious and the beds in the Intensive Care Units are occupied one after the other. “One thing is clear: the risk and challenge for Bavaria comes from the vaccination gap,” Zender said, adding that 90% of ICU patients are unvaccinated.
The Bavarian prime minister has made it clear that his government intends to use all legal means and to impose as many restrictions as possible, noting that a general lockdown – and for those vaccinated – is in his view legally difficult and possibly unconstitutional. On this occasion, Mr. Zender once again criticized the parties of the possible new coalition (SPD, Greens, FDP) for the decision not to renew the status of “epidemiological situation of national scope”, which allows more immediate and stricter measures. and expires on November 25.
In Bavaria, the rate of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days reached 625.3 today, the highest in the whole country, while the rate of hospital admissions exceeded the limit of 9 and is at 9.15.
Span speaks of a state of emergency
Health Minister Jens Spann recently spoke of a “national emergency” and ruled out a new general lockdown, with Robert Koch Institute chief Lothar Wheeler describing the country as “a major coronavirus outbreak”. For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, patients have to be transported from state to state due to the overburdening of the health system.
“In simple words: we are in the most difficult situation of the pandemic. We are in the “ten”, Mr. Span pointed out and admitted that the state should have pointed out earlier that with such a low vaccination rate, the fourth wave cannot be addressed.
Addressing those who still refuse to be vaccinated, the Minister of Health stated in a dramatic tone: “I do not understand, what else should happen? We cannot drag them all to an Intensive Care Unit. And I do not think of a mandatory vaccination, because only with vaccination, with booster vaccination, we will no longer break this wave, something we need in the short term. That is why additional contact restrictions are necessary, such as a “lockdown for the unvaccinated”. However, answering a question about whether there is a possibility of enforcement and a general lockdown, such as the one that will be implemented in Austria from next Monday, Mr. Span stressed: “We are in a situation in which we must not rule out anything (… “This will be the week of decisions.” He referred to the dramatic situation faced by many hospitals in the country, most notably the situation in Bavaria, where only 3% of ICU beds are free.
For his part, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wheeler, said that “the number of cases is now unacceptably high” and compared the situation with a tanker approaching the wall of the port. “If we turn it now in the opposite direction with all our might, then it may continue to move for a while and may hit the port sideways. Let’s just hope it doesn’t collide head-on with the wall. “We have to take action now,” Wheeler said, adding that medical care was no longer guaranteed in many areas. “The closure of vaccination gaps and the rules for access to services and facilities for those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered are no longer sufficient. “We need an extensive reduction of contacts to slow down the spread of the virus,” he said, calling for “anyone who can stay at home”, canceling large events, reducing the number of people at smaller events and closing “hotspots”. bars and clubs. In addition, he noted, the application of the rules must be strictly controlled.
France will not follow the example of those European countries that impose a lockdown on unvaccinated people against Covid-19 due to the success of the health pass measure implemented by the French government to curb the spread of the virus, said President Emanuel Macron .
“Those countries that impose a lockdown on the vaccinated are those that have not implemented the (health) pass. “This measure is not necessary in France,” Macron told La Voix du Nord.
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