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AUSTRIA’S PRESIDENT HAS signed a law making Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for all adults, a first in the European Union.
It applies to all adults, except pregnant women and those with a medical exemption. Those holding out can face fines of up to €3,600 after mid-March following an “introductory phase”.
President Alexander Van der Bellen signed the law after parliament approved it, his office said. It was published in the official gazette and came into force today.
Tens of thousands have demonstrated against mandatory vaccination in regular weekend rallies across the country since the measure was announced in November.
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But it has broad political support – with all parties except the far-right rallying behind it – in a bid to drive up the country’s vaccination rate.
Currently, 69% of Austrian residents have certificates that they are fully protected against the coronavirus – including a booster for those whose shots were more than six months ago.
Austria has to date seen more than 14,000 Covid-related deaths and close to 2 million cases in a population of nine million.
As elsewhere, Omicron has sent cases spiralling in recent weeks, but hospitals have not been overwhelmed so far.
Compulsory vaccinations against Covid are rare though Ecuador, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Indonesia and Micronesia have introduced such schemes.
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If the boat was licensed to carry that amount of passengers than it should have adequate life rafts and life jackets aboard. Hopefully they had time to get off safely before boat capsized.
@Skipper Mac: Everyone was wearing a life jacket and if they got on a life boat they may have drifted. If they all got off before it sank they have a chance of being found but no chance being alive if just in cold waters after 8 hours and not a life raft
The captain sounds like a total flute. Ran them aground in shallow waters before, and now ignored calls to not go out, while passing all the fishing boats returning to shore coz it wasn’t safe. Went on ahead anyway. He should’ve been sacked long ago, and now he’s responsible for 26 people dying. The tour company need to get investigated big time. Might’ve been them who told him to plough on ahead coz they didn’t wanna issue refunds,
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