Austria’s government confirmed on Wednesday that it would try and pass a vaccine mandate law that would apply to all residents of the country aged 18 and over.

• There will be exceptions made for pregnant women, people who are exempt from vaccination due to medical reasons, and those who have tested positive for an infection with the coronavirus in the previous 180 days.
• People’s vaccine status will be controlled by the police, for example at traffic control points.
• Those who are found not to have been vaccinated will face an initial fine of €600 or up to €3,600 if they decide to challenge it in court.
• People can avoid a fine if they get their first vaccination within two weeks of being caught.
• The fines will only come into affect in mid-March.
• A single person can be fined a maximum of four times during the year.
• No one will go to prison if they refuse to pay their fines.

At the presentation of the bill, health minister Wolfgang Mückstein said that “vaccination protects – it protects us and our fellow citizens, and a high level of vaccination coverage protects our health system.”

The bill will be discussed by the Austrian parliament in the coming week.

Over the weekend thousands of people took to the streets of Vienna to protest against the compulsory vaccination bill.