Posted by 
Austria orders lockdown for unvaccinated people
Austria will implement lockdown measures for all those aged 12 and older who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced.
Around 65 per cent of Austria's population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the lower rates in the European Union where cases are surging. Under the measures announced on Sunday, the unvaccinated are ordered to stay home except for a few limited reasons from Monday (local time); the rules will be policed by officers carrying out spot checks on those who are out.
The lockdown plan which was agreed in September called for unvaccinated Austrians to face a stay-at-home order once 30 per cent of intensive-care beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients. Unvaccinated people are already excluded from entertainment venues, restaurants, hairdressers and other parts of public life in Austria.
READ MORE: COVID-19 shuts down more than 20 schools across New South Wales
Mr Schallenberg told reporters on Friday that the government should give the "green light" for the move this weekend. "The aim is clear: we want on Sunday to give the green light for a nationwide lockdown for the unvaccinated," Mr Schallenberg said at a news conference in Innsbruck.
He had earlier called the country's vaccination rate "shamefully low." His warning came as a wave of COVID-19 infections sweeps central Europe. A three-week partial lockdown was announced in the Netherlands on Friday evening, Reuters reported, with health officials recording a rapid rise in cases there.
His warning came as a wave of COVID-19 infections sweeps central Europe. A three-week partial lockdown was announced in the Netherlands on Friday evening, Reuters reported, with health officials recording a rapid rise in cases there.
Norway also announced new measures on Friday, while people in the German capital Berlin are preparing for fresh restrictions that come into place on Monday.
Vaccine rates vary across Europe but get steadily lower towards the east of the continent.
For the second consecutive week, Europe last week was the only region in the world where cases and deaths were found to be climbing in the World Health Organisation's weekly global report.
Between November 1 and 7, there was a 1 per cent increase in new weekly cases, the update said, and just over 3.1 million new cases were reported. The region also reported a 10 per cent increase in new deaths over the last week.
