Austria In Lockdown As Nearby Germany Warns Unvaccinated Of Death
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – Austria returned to a national lockdown Monday and prepared for forced vaccinations against COVID-19, while in neighboring Germany, the government warned jab hesitant citizens of “death.”
From midnight, Austrians were ordered to work from home, and non-essential shops were closed despite massive protests against new COVID-restrictions here and across Europe.
Angry people clashed with police in the Netherlands and Belgium following protests against measures that authorities say are needed to halt coronavirus infections.
Authorities say they follow advice from groups such as the World Health Organization (WHO), which warned of at least 500,000 more dead Europeans by Spring without COVID-measures.
The Austrian lockdown came as Germany’s health minister issued his starkest warning on the importance of getting vaccinated.
“By the end of this winter, everyone in Germany will either be vaccinated, recovered, or dead,” Jens Spahn told reporters in Berlin, the capital.
He claimed that Germany is in the grip of the fourth wave of coronavirus. Cases are rising rapidly, and many hospitals are full, according to authorities.
LOW JAB RATES
Germany says it has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe, with 68 percent of people fully vaccinated.
Yet Spahn stressed he was against making Covid vaccines compulsory but claimed it was a “moral obligation” to get the jab because it impacts other people. “Freedom means taking responsibility, and there is a duty to society to get vaccinated,” he said.
Opponents of the jab have expressed concerns about reported side effects and even deaths. Despite claiming freedom of choice, the government prepares restrictions excluding the unvaccinated from specific venues. Some of Germany’s famed Christmas markets have also been canceled.
The minister said the highly contagious Delta variant is driving the latest wave and that “anyone who is not vaccinated will, over the next few months, become infected and lack protection.”
Germany’s infection rate is at its highest since the pandemic began, and health experts warned this wave could be the worst yet in Europe’s largest economy.
In the past 24 hours, there have been 30,643 new infections – 7,000 more than a week ago, officials said. The figure is among the highest reported rates in the world.
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