Vienna ,
Austria Lockdown restrictions for vaccinated people ended in much of the country on Sunday, three weeks after strict rules were reimposed to combat a growing wave of coronavirus infections.
rules, which vary by region Country, largely allowing the reopening of cinemas, museums and other cultural and entertainment venues on Sunday. Shops will open on Monday.
Some areas are reopening restaurants and hotels on Sunday, while others will wait until the end of the month.
In all cases, there will be an 11 p.m. curfew for restaurants, and masks will still be required on public transport and inside shops and public places.
Chancellor Karl Nehmer last week called the move “opening with seatbelts”, giving each of Austria’s nine regions the ability to loosen or tighten restrictions depending on the local situation.
Non-vaccinated people will still be subject to lockdown restrictions and must stay at home for all but certain reasons, such as buying groceries, going to the doctor or exercising.
Since the start of the lockdown, the number of new cases in the small alpine country has declined.
On Friday, Austria reported 367.5 new infections per 100,000 residents, down from 1,102.4 on the first day of the lockdown in November.
However, hospitalizations from the virus have not decreased as rapidly as the number of new cases.
There are currently 567 coronavirus patients in intensive care units across the country, down slightly from 572 on the first day of the lockdown last month.
Austrian officials have insisted that high rates of vaccination are necessary to control the virus.
Only 67.7 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, a relatively low rate for Western Europe, and the government has introduced measures to stem the increasing pressure on non-vaccinated individuals to receive the vaccine.
Among those measures is a nationwide vaccine mandate, which will go into effect in February for all residents age 14 and older. Those who do not comply will face fines of up to 3,600 euros (about US$4,000).
Thousands of people across the country have protested against lockdown restrictions and impending vaccine mandates in recent weeks. Police said 44,000 people took part in Saturday’s demonstrations in the capital Vienna.
This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed.
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