March 09, (THEWILL) – Austria has suspended a law making Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for all adults.
The law, which became effective in February, called for fines up to 3,600 euros ($3,940) from mid-March for those who do not comply.
Briefing newsmen after a cabinet meeting on the development on Wednesday, the Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution, Karoline Edtstadler said the law’s “encroachment of fundamental rights” could no longer be justified by the danger posed by the pandemic.
“After consultations with the health minister, we have decided that we will of course follow what the (expert) commission has said.
“We see no need to actually implement this compulsory vaccination due to the (Omicron) variant that we are predominantly experiencing here,” Edtstadler told reporters.
The highly-contagious variant is widely believed to be less severe than previous strains of the virus, and so far Austrian hospitals have been able to cope with a surge in cases.
Calls to review the law have become increasingly loud, especially as Austria has dropped almost all coronavirus restrictions in recent weeks.
As of Tuesday, Austria has recorded almost three million coronavirus cases and more than 15,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
Austria was among few countries in the world to make jabs against the coronavirus compulsory for all adults.
