Austria became the first western democracy to require the COVID-19 vaccine after President Alexander Van der Bellen signed the mandate into law on Friday.
Under the plan, residents of the European country will begin receiving notices about the requirement but will not be forced to comply immediately.
Police will begin conducting random checks in mid-March and those who fail to show proof of vaccination can be fined $675. Failure to comply could result in increasing fines that reach around $4,100.
Ultimately, the government plans to create a registry by vaccination status that would allow it to assess fines automatically, though this phase might not occur if the pandemic recedes.
Austria, which is home to nearly 9 million people, issued the mandate when infections began to surge in November, many of them among the unvaccinated.
There are exemptions to the requirement for pregnant women and people who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons.
Most leaders have stopped short of a nationwide mandate. Italy and Greece are requiring the shots for older persons, while Germany has announced general plans for a mandate but hasn’t moved forward yet.
President Biden’s federal regulations have run into hurdles in the courts. Most notably, the Supreme Court said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration could not require large companies to require weekly testing of unvaccinated workers.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
