Austria enters fourth lockdown as COVID cases skyrocket in Europe

Pedestrians walk through the city center during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as the Austrian government imposed a general lockdown from Monday, in Salzburg, Austria, November 22, 2021. REUTERS / Lukas Barth

VIENNA / BERLIN, November 22 (Reuters) – Austria entered its fourth national lockdown on Monday after tens of thousands of people, many of them far-right supporters, protested in Vienna against new movement restrictions as Europe once again becomes the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.

The protests turned violent in Brussels and across the Netherlands over the weekend amid frustration over even more government checks almost two years after the virus was first identified in China.

Austria, introducing the first lockdown in Western Europe since vaccines became available, also announced it would make vaccination mandatory from February 1. Many Austrians are skeptical of vaccinations, a view encouraged by the far-right Freedom Party, the third largest in parliament.

The streets of Vienna were quieter than usual on a cool, overcast Monday, as many shops remained closed, but people went to work, which was still allowed. The government has urged people to work from home whenever possible. Read more

Around 40,000 people demonstrated peacefully in the Austrian capital on Saturday, with just six arrests.

“It’s like a luxury prison. It’s definitely limited freedom and for me it’s not great psychologically,” said Sascha Iamkovyi, a 43-year-old food entrepreneur.

“People were promised (by the government) that if they got vaccinated they could lead normal lives, but now that’s not true.”

About 66% of the Austrian population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the lowest rates in Western Europe.

Authorities mainly blame the unvaccinated for the current wave of COVID, although experts say vaccine protection appears to wane after a few months and inoculation, while significantly reducing the risk of serious illness or death, does not prevent not viral transmission or reinfection.

Under the Austrian lockdown, restaurants, cafes, bars, theaters, non-essential stores and hairdressers cannot open for 10 days, and possibly up to 20 days.

People can leave their homes for a limited number of reasons, such as going to their place of work or shopping for essentials. Walking is permitted with no time or distance limit.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia have banned unvaccinated people from pubs and services from Monday. [nL8N2SD247]

Stock markets started the week on a cautious note after posting a second consecutive weekly decline, and the euro struggled as traders weighed the risks of further lockdowns. Read more

WATER AND LACROMETRIC GAS CANNON

Christmas markets in Austria, a huge tourist attraction that was just beginning to open, must also close but, last minute change, Austrian ski lifts may remain open to vaccinated.

The Conservative-led government imposed a lockdown on the unvaccinated last week, but daily infections continued to spread well above the previous peak, given lingering vaccine skepticism on the approach. winter, dragging more people inside.

Riots broke out in towns across the Netherlands as police clashed with crowds of angry young people who set fire to and threw stones to protest COVID-19 restrictions. More than 100 people were arrested over three nights of violence, which saw police open fire on rioters in Rotterdam on Friday. Read more

Police and protesters clashed in the streets of Brussels on Sunday, with officers firing water cannons and tear gas at protesters throwing stones and smoke bombs, witnesses said. Read more

In many parts of Germany, including its capital Berlin, Christmas markets opened for the first time in two years on Monday even as the COVID-19 infection rate hit a new high.

But the neighboring states of Austria and the Czech Republic which have by far the highest number of cases in Germany have introduced stricter rules, including the cancellation of Christmas markets, the ban on unvaccinated people from restaurants and bars and nighttime curfews.

In France, proof of vaccination or a recent negative test is required to visit restaurants and cinemas and President Emmanuel Macron said last week that more lockdowns were not needed.

But violence erupted last week in the French overseas region of Guadeloupe amid protests against COVID-19-related restrictions such as compulsory vaccination of health workers.

Police arrested at least 38 people and dozens of shops were looted. Macron said on Monday that the protests had created a “very explosive” situation. Read more

Eikon users can click https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1063154666 for a case tracker.

Global Coronavirus Spread Interactive Chart: Open https://tmsnrt.rs/2FThSv7 in an external browser.

Additional reporting by Jason Hovet and Jan Lopatka; Writing by Nick Macfie Editing by Mark Heinrich

Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.