Austrian president opens palace for hundreds to get Covid-19 vaccine

Agencies | Vienna

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen opened the door of his palace residence in Vienna on Tuesday to Covid-19 vaccine holdouts who had finally decided to get the shot.

Van der Bellen invited up to 300 people to roll up their sleeves in the rooms of the imperial Hofburg palace in the center of the Austrian capital.

His office said 230 people had registered in advance and others had lined up spontaneously to get a jab delivered by workers from the Johanniters aid group, according to Deutsche press agency (dpa).

Van der Bellen said he wanted to do his part to increase vaccine uptake. So far, 63.7 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

A few vaccination opponents demonstrated in front of the palace and demanded that Austria lift all coronavirus restrictions.

Last week it was announced that most employees in Austria will have to prove they have been vaccinated, tested negative for the virus or recovered from Covid-19 starting November 1.

On Friday, the Austrian government said unvaccinated people could face lockdown measures if intensive care capacity begins to strain.

Depending on the bed occupancy, they will no longer be allowed to go to bars or to cultural and sporting events. Under certain extreme conditions, they may not be allowed to leave their house at all without a valid reason.