Schallenberg is in a fight against time to stop ICU wards in the country from being inundated with unvaccinated Austrians.
The newly-appointed Chancellor announced that if COVID-19 patients in ICU reaches 500 – or 25 percent of the country’s total ICU capacity – entry into venues like hotels and restaurants will be limited to those who have had both jabs.
If the number reaches 600 – or one-third of total ICU capacity – the government could put in place restrictions that mean unvaccinated Austrians will need to stay at home and only leave the house for specific reasons. Currently, the number of COVID patients in ICUs stands at 220.
In a press conference on Friday, Schallenberg said that the pandemic is not yet in the rearview mirror.
In the past week, Austria has reported 20,408 new cases of the virus, according to health authorities, bringing the 7-day average to 228.5 per 100,000 inhabitants. A week earlier, that figure was at 152.5 per 100,000 inhabitants. Although Austria’s government has encouraged citizens to get vaccinated, the effort has slowed in recent months.
Some 65.4 percent of the total population has received one dose of the vaccine, and 62.2 percent are fully vaccinated.
Tags: Austria, Austria tourism
