Austria was the first country in the European Union to introduce compulsory vaccination against Covid-19.
But it was never enforced - and on Thursday the government in Vienna said goodbye to compulsory vaccination.
There were now “other conditions” than in last November, and the compulsory vaccination, which was decided by a large majority at the time, “took deep rifts in society,” said Health Minister Johannes Rauch on Thursday.
"That's why we decided to abolish compulsory vaccination."
Stephen Lowenstein
Political correspondent based in Vienna.
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In late summer and autumn 2021, the government had hardly reacted with any countermeasures for a long time, despite the steep increase in the number of infections with the corona virus, at that time with the particularly aggressive Delta variant.
By the end of November, drastic measures followed almost every week: the so-called schnitzel lockdown for the unvaccinated (legally a 2-G obligation in the catering trade), then a complete lockdown for the unvaccinated, then a lockdown for everyone.
As compensation for the last step, a conference of government and state leaders in Tyrol decided to introduce general vaccination.
This was intended to appease the vaccinated citizens, who had actually been promised that they would not take any more drastic measures.
But the law, which came into force in February 2022 and was supposed to apply until the end of 2024, was never enforced.
The sensitive fines planned for vaccination refusers (up to 1800 euros per year in repeated cases) were never imposed.
First there was a transitional period, then enforcement was suspended, and finally the whole law was shelved.
A vaccination commission made up of doctors and lawyers came to the conclusion that the proportionality would not currently be given.
However, a possible later "focusing" was left open, should this become necessary in the coming autumn.
Rauch: "Omikron has changed the rules"
Health Minister Rauch has now given that up entirely.
The Green politician is the third health minister in Vienna since the beginning of the pandemic, and he inherited compulsory vaccination from his predecessor Wolfgang Mückstein.
Rauch said on Thursday that he too was a supporter at the time.
But: "Omicron has changed the rules." The Corona variant, which now predominates with subgroups, is "harmless" than Delta.
"It's time to fill in the ditches again.
The abolition of compulsory vaccination is a further step out of crisis mode towards normalization.
We have to learn to live with Covid-19."
In this sense, the ÖVP also expressed itself, but not Chancellor Karl Nehammer to announce the end of compulsory vaccination, but the ÖVP club chairman (group leader) August Wöginger: “We are now following the advice of the experts with this step and are setting increasingly on people's personal responsibility.
There is enough vaccine available that anyone who wants to be vaccinated or who needs a booster shot can do so.
The end of compulsory vaccination is intended to strengthen cooperation in our society again.”
The reference to "ditches" and "togetherness" refers to the violent protests against the measures, in particular the obligation to vaccinate.
There have been numerous demonstrations since November, with up to 100,000 people gathering in Vienna for the protests.
The right-wing opposition party FPÖ under former Interior Minister Herbert Kickl tried to make a name for itself with radical criticism of the measures.
In addition, a new anti-measures party called MFG was able to move into several state parliaments.
The health minister said that the obligation to vaccinate has partly led to a general resistance to medical measures.
Rauch also pointed out that the obligation had not succeeded in increasing the number of people who were vaccinated.
In fact, the opposite might even be the case.
Because those who had not previously been willing to do so were encouraged by the announced deadlines to wait and see.
The previous “Schnitzel lockdown”, on the other hand, had led to higher vaccination rates.