Schalenberg said the lockdown would begin on Monday and would be in effect for ten days. In this, there will be no direct classes for students in schools, restaurants and cultural programs will also be banned.
The country’s health minister Wolfgang Mückstein later said kindergartens and schools would be open to those who needed to go there but that all parents were told to keep their children at home if possible.
Kindergarten (Kindergarten) is a special method of education for children up to six years of age through play.
Meanwhile, according to the news of the state broadcaster ‘ORF’, vaccination will also be made mandatory in the country from February 1.
According to the news, Schalenberg said, “We do not want a fifth wave.”
Austria initially introduced a nationwide lockdown only for those who have not been vaccinated, but as cases of infection increased, the government extended it to everyone.
“It’s very painful,” Schalenberg said.
The nationwide lockdown will initially last for 10 days, then the impacts will be assessed and may be extended to a maximum of 20 days if the virus cases are not reduced sufficiently.
Austria’s intensive care physicians welcomed the government’s decision.
Walter Haseebeder, president of the Society for Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care Medicine, told the Austrian news agency APA, “We have experienced record numbers of infections day by day. Now it is very necessary to control the cases.
For the last seven days, more than 10,000 new cases of infection have been reported in the country every day. The number of infected in hospitals is increasing and the number of deaths due to this epidemic is also increasing. So far 11,525 people have died due to this virus in Austria.
Schalenberg said that despite many efforts and campaigns, only a few people decided to get vaccinated. He said that there is no other option but to make vaccination mandatory in the country in February.
The chancellor said details would be finalized in the coming weeks, but those who continued to refuse vaccination could face fines.
AP
Devendra Madhav
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