The governor of Upper Austria said his province and the city of Salzburg would apply a full lockdown from Monday, closing shops and non-essential hospitality areas and ordering all residents to stay at home, regardless their vaccination status.
In a statement released today, Thomas Stelzer called on the Austrian federal government to implement nationwide measures in the face of rising coronavirus infections in the country.
“We don’t have much more room to maneuver, which is to say we have very, very little room to maneuver,” Stelzer said.
“If there is no full federal lockdown by Monday, we will proceed with a multi-week lockdown in Upper Austria and neighboring state of Salzburg,” he told reporters.
He called on Austria’s coronavirus task force to discuss a possible nationwide social shutdown in a meeting this afternoon. State governors will meet with the federal government tomorrow to discuss the proposals.
New general measures were needed to “stabilize medical care in hospitals and protect employees from overload,” Stelzer said.
Austria on Tuesday recorded a new record of 15,609 new daily cases, bringing the 7-day moving average to 971 cases per 100,000 population, one of the highest rates in Europe.
Austria has put in place a controversial lockdown against unvaccinated people, who have been ordered to stay home, with severe financial penalties being enforced by police for violators.
Despite widespread availability, around a quarter of Austrians over the age of 12 have yet to receive any dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Skepticism about the vaccine’s efficacy and opposition to its forced administration is widespread.
Upper Austria is the third largest state in the country in terms of population, with just under 1.5 million inhabitants. It is also the most affected by the third wave due to its low use of vaccines.
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