The pandemic is making a comeback in Europe, and in Austria it’s reached a boiling point, with 15,000 new cases a day.
“Austria will enter a fourth national lockdown on Monday as Covid-19 cases continue to surge,” CNBC reported on Friday, November 19, 2021 (story here).
The government is taking drastic action. Unvaccinated people were already under restrictions approaching house arrest, and that’s now being extended to everyone for a 20-day period. During that time, people will be allowed to leave their homes only for “essential purposes.”
And vaccination will be mandatory. Currently, about two-thirds of Austrians are vaccinated; the holdouts won’t have a choice. The stringent measures are intended to relieve pressure on the country’s health care system.
In America, Covid-19 continues to kill about 1,200 people a day, and total deaths were 768,697 as of November 18, 2021.
Photo: In Austria, cops stop citizens at control points and inspect their vaccine passports