Austria seen backing off new ban on 'existing while unvaccinated'

In a move described as “once-unthinkable” by the New York Times, Austria is set to become the first nation in the world to relegate all adult residents who have chosen to rely on natural immunity, or for some other reason have chosen to not receive the COVID-19 vaccines, to home confinement.

The mandate, which was officially signed into law on Friday by President Alexander Van der Bellen, was first announced in a November press conference by Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg.

Three-stage implementation

In the first phase, the government will now begin to send each citizen a letter with a notification of the mandate and an instruction that unvaccinated people are to take the shot within 30 days unless they are pregnant, received their first positive PCR Covid-19 test in the last 180 days or are too fragile to handle the jab. 

The second phase, to be implemented on March 16th, will see police handing out fines of up to €600 (about $685) to whomever does not show proof of vaccination at random checks, including traffic stops and spot checks of pedestrians. Those fines will be increased to up to €3,600 up to four times a year, for a total of €14,400 (about $16,485) per year, per family member over 18, for those who continue to refuse the injection. 

A family of four with 18-year-old and 20-year-old children in college would have to pay the government €57,600 (about $65,940) annually for the privilege of relying on natural immunity.

The third phase will see the government create a formal vaccination registry of all residents and an automated system to assess fines for failure to vaccinate, even if the unvaccinated never leave their homes. The law does not provide a launch date for this phase. 

Opposition

The Austrian government may have underestimated the level of opposition to what the New York Times labeled a sweeping measure. The paper reports that the new law, 

“has also galvanized a noisy protest movement there. Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets across the country in recent months to oppose pandemic restrictions, chief among them the vaccine mandate.”

The Guardian has even questioned whether the Austrian government will be able to enforce the new law. In an article headlined “Austria passes Covid vaccine mandate, but question marks linger over enforcement” the paper reports:

“questions remain over whether it can sway those sceptical of taking the jab and how much the Alpine state’s government is willing to press those who won’t comply.” 

As evidence, the paper points out that, 

“In an interview with public broadcaster ORF on Thursday morning, health minister Wolfgang Mückstein was unable to give a date for the crucial deadline. “As Austria has inched closer to a decision on mandatory vaccinations, the conservative-Greens coalition government of chancellor Karl Nehammer has simultaneously loosened restrictions for the unvaccinated.”

Previous frustration with Austria vaccine policy

A December 2021 opinion piece published by Newsweek, “Draconian COVID Measures Are Part of Austria's Political Nightmare,” lays out the ill timing of Austria’s mandate law: 

“The background to all this is the greatest state of political chaos the country has experienced in decades. Former chancellor Sebastian Kurz was forced to resign two months ago, after massive protests against his authoritarian pandemic policies and a number of serious allegations of corruption. His downfall was triggered by the publication of WhatsApp messages in which Kurz and his closest advisers discussed the appointment of their friends to high positions in state-affiliated companies, the manipulation of opinion poll results and … referred to the Austrian people as ‘riffraff’ and ‘animals.’

“Kurz is now facing a number of criminal charges, including one for lying to a parliamentary committee of inquiry. He was succeeded as chancellor by the foreign minister, Alexander Schallenberg, who promptly announced the vaccine mandate. The huge protests against his policies made an impact—after less than 60 days in office, he is now history. 

“The new chancellor is the former minister of the interior, Karl Nehammer … the most unpopular politician within living memory...”

The world watches

The Newsweek op-ed, penned by Alexander Tschugguel, president of the St. Boniface Institute, a Vienna based Catholic think tank, concludes, 

“Everyone who values freedom and democracy, including foreign political leaders, should keep a close watch on the developments in Austria.”

Indeed, Austria appears to be aware that it’s on center stage. Clemens Schuhmann of Austria’s Oberösterreichische Nachrichten newspaper remarked,

“There’s a sense the whole of Europe is watching us: a government U-turn at this stage would amount to a huge loss of face.”

Pitfalls of enforcement

Schuhmann also considered the dangers inherent in proceeding with the new law: 

“Those who will get vaccinated because of the mandate are the ones who can’t afford to pay the fines. The risk is that others will get further radicalised and rather go to prison than take the jab.”

The Guardian appears to agree with Schuhmann’s assessment:

“enforcing the mandate could come with the risk of further stoking divisions in a society already polarised over the course of the pandemic.”