Austria to go into full lockdown

Days after Austria imposed a lockdown on the unvaccinated, it has announced a full national Covid-19 lockdown starting on November 22.

Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said it would last a maximum of 20 days and there would be a legal requirement to get vaccinated from 1 February 2022.

He was responding to record cases numbers and one of the lowest vaccination levels in Western Europe.

Many other European countries are imposing restrictions as cases rise.

"We don't want a fifth wave," said Schallenberg after meeting the governors of Austria's nine provinces at a resort in western Austria.

Latest figures show an incidence rate of 990.7 cases per 100,000 people in the past week, and Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein said imposing a lockdown was a "last resort".

Under the measures, Austrians will be told to work from home, non-essential shops will close, and schools will remain open for children who require face-to-face learning. They will continue until 12 December, but will be reassessed after 10 days.

Austria's is the first full lockdown imposed by an EU country this winter, BBC reported.