Lockdown begins in Austria: Cafés, restaurants, Christmas markets closed…

(Patria) - Austria today entered its fourth lockdown due to the coronavirus infection, making it the first Western European country to reintroduce drastic and unpopular measures this autumn.

This lockdown is similar to previous ones, but it is the first to be introduced since the vaccine became widely available.

Most places where people gather, such as restaurants, bars, theatres and shops, will not be able to open their doors for 10 days, although the government says the lockdown could be extended to 20 days.

Christmas markets, which attract many tourists, will also have to close, but ski resorts remain open for the vaccinated. Hotels will close, but remain open for those who were staying in them before the lockdown.

“This is a situation where we have to react now. Lockdown, a relatively severe method, is the only option to reduce the number of infections here,” Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein told ORF.

The conservative government imposed isolation measures on the unvaccinated last week, but the daily number of new infections continues to rise far above the numbers of the previous peak reached a year ago.

On Friday, the government announced that from Monday it would reintroduce a full lockdown and that from February 1, vaccination would be mandatory, a move that only a few countries have implemented.

Citizens can leave their homes only if they are going to work or to buy essential groceries. Going for a walk is allowed without time or distance restrictions, and two people from different households can meet at the same time.

Workplaces and schools remain open, but the government has asked parents not to send their children to school and to keep them at home if possible.