(ANSA-AFP) - VIENNA, JUN 23 - The Austrian government said
Thursday it will scrap the country's controversial policy of
mandatory vaccination against the coronavirus, just months after
it became law. The measure -- which was an EU first -- came into
legal effect at the beginning of February and the first checks
had been planned for mid-March, with those refusing to get the
jab facing fines of up to 3,600 euros ($4,100). However, the
measure was suspended in March before any checks took place,
with the government saying such a far-reaching measure could no
longer be justified by the danger the coronavirus posed. Health
Minister Johannes Rauch told a press conference that the measure
had caused deep divisions in the country of nine million and
said that the element of compulsion had even deterred some
people from getting the jab. "The mandate isn't bringing anyone
to get vaccinated," he said. The Omicron variant had also
"changed the rules", Rauch added, as the wave driven by that
variant tended to lead to cases with milder symptoms.
(ANSA-AFP).
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