As we think about the future of international travel, we can look to what is going on in the nations around us for signs of what to expect. In Austria, the government is now planning to place unvaccinated citizens on lockdown…a big step beyond simply turning away unvaccinated folks from restaurants and bars. Will we destroy our world in order to “save” it?
As COVID-19 Numbers Rises, Austria Plans New Lockdown For Unvaccinated
Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said his nation is “days” away from placing people not fully-vaccinated against COVID-19 on lockdown. Under government health policy, if 30% or more of hospital patients in intensive care unit are being treated for COVID-19, unvaccinated citizens will be placed under lockdown. The current number stands at 20%, but is rising quickly, thus sparking the warning from Chancellor Schallenberg.
Calling Austria’s 67% vaccination rate “shamefully low,” Schallenberg said:
“According to the incremental plan we actually have just days until we have to introduce the lockdown for unvaccinated people.”
He added:
“A lockdown for the unvaccinated means one cannot leave one’s home unless one is going to work, shopping (for essentials), stretching one’s legs – namely exactly what we all had to suffer through in 2020…
“I don’t see why two-thirds should lose their freedom because one-third is dithering. For me, it is clear that there should be no lockdown for the vaccinated out of solidarity for the unvaccinated.”
Already, the Upper Austria region plans a lockdown for the unvaccinated beginning on Monday.
Austria does not have a vaccine mandate.
Vaccine Mandate or Lockdown?
Surging rates of COVID-19 in places like Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands foretell a fourth wave that will hit U.S. shores in the weeks to come. The question becomes what to do about persistently stubborn COVID-19 numbers…and persistently stubborn people who refuse to get the vaccine?
My leadoff question…will we destroy our world in order to “save” it?…is a loaded question, of course. But this is my concern: Schallenberg said the police would conduct spot checks to promote compliance.
Picture it. “Papers please.” In Austria. We had this discussion last month, but here’s where I come at this issue:
- There are no valid logical reasons to abstain from a COVID-19 vaccine from a risk/benefit perspective
- There are no valid religious reasons to abstain from a COVID-19 vaccine for any of the Abrahamic faiths
- Every adult who is not allergic to it would be wise to get a shot
- Just because the jab wanes in its effectiveness over time does not mean that it is worthless
- focusing on the breakthrough cases and side effects of the shot are like focusing on a broken faucet as the house burns
- Businesses are free to turn away unvaccinated customers
- Companies are free to require their employees be vaccinated
- Governments locking people in their homes over vaccination status is deeply troubling and violates more profound human rights
Austria is not the United States, but I view any legitimate government as the result of a compact with the people: certain rights are given up in exchange for certain protections and solutions to collective action problems.
I do believe our right to “freedom” ends when it infringes upon the freedom of others. I also believe that the government has an active and legitimate role to play in safeguarding public health.
So what’s the problem?
We’ve seen far too much government abuse over the centuries to justify such a heavy-handed tactic. No amount of benevolence or good intentions will make me comfortable with government agents going up to citizens and demanding to see their paperwork in a sense to check if they are guilty–to see if their papers are valid. On the streets. In the park. Outside their house of worship.
This is different than a sobriety checkpoint…or an airport security checkpoint. It gets to the heart of free movement within a country and subjects those to literal fear and intimidation who should instead be subjected to economic and persuasive coercion.
Yes, every adult should be vaccinated. But no, I’d rather take the risk of more easily catching COVID-19 from an idiot citizen than to lock that person in his own home. Such action; such segregation becomes a fertile breeding ground for the type of radicalism and social unrest that can turn out to be far more lethal to those impacted than any coronavirus strain.
CONCLUSION
As we think about travel and which countries to visit, the Austrian model scares me. Goodness, I know Austria just wants to beat the virus. I hope we all do. But I hope we realize that COVID-19 will be with us for a very long time, we better get used to it, and we better not destroy our world by using fear and intimidation to pit neighbor against neighbor, in order to save it. Because from my vantage point, that’s not saving it…
image: Kecko
What a brilliant idea, maybe we can do that here too. I’m going to discuss with Kam.
Yes, it *IS* a great idea. Please, please please can we have this too? Keep all the knuckle-dragging simpering anti-reality lunatics locked up please.
Completely agree with your viewpoint. I am pro-vax, pro-science, etc but I believe we are opening up a dangerous precedent when we try to isolate a segment of the population to their homes in what is essentially a confinement. History has an unfortunate way of repeating itself.
Explain how it’s different than a sobriety checkpoint… And they aren’t being locked in their homes – it clearly says they can go to work and exercise outdoors… You’re being a little dramatic
In some countries this may be dramatic. But if you know Austria well and it’s history of the lockdowns thus far, it’s actually a bit more stringent than that in how they enforce it. Polizei there are very diligent when in lockdown to enforce even the slightest bending of the rules and will question you relentlessly. Even sitting on a park bench if you are “in lockdown” is met with a fine. Further, I expect that the “work” aspect will be more tightly defined and probably be essential work only that involves no contact with others. If the past lockdowns in Austria are an indication, this is dramatic and will not be pleasant for those unvaccinated. Especially during the holidays.
Three times I sat at Wien Hauptbahnhof having breakfast/lunch at Anker, three times they came by asking to see my covid test/vaccination card. In Austria they do NOT fool around.
On the other hand Vienna is giving out 30 euro brothel vouchers for getting a shot
https://www.breakinglatest.news/health/vienna-if-you-get-vaccinated-you-get-a-30-euro-voucher-for-the-brothel-and-in-switzerland-a-bonus-is-being-studied-for-anyone-who-convinces-a-friend-health-and-wellness/
@ Matthew — I say we lock down Trump and all of his cronies as long as there is a single case in the US.
This comment is incredibly ignorant since the largest unvaccinated group in the USA is African-Americans who generally aren’t FoxNews-watching Trump lovers. Despite the political tribalism that seems to want to use the pandemic to persecute those on the other side, this issue is actually far more nuanced and complex than generally presented.
At least Trump had inflation under control and he never crapped his pants in front of the pope or let out a ripper in the company of the Dutchess of Cornwall. Oh, and COVID is still out of control in spite of the dribbler in chief promising that he would put an end to it all.
Hello Matt. Observations from my family’s recent flight to Eastern Europe on Austria Airlines transiting through the airport. I found out in online check in I had to have an N95 mask to board and panicked but fortunately my wife had bought a 10 pack via groupon a few months prior. They were available for sale at Dulles but at higher prices. Later, when I boarded, the gate agent was offering me an N95 mask if I hadn’t brought one.
I make this observation because Austria appears to take this seriously but has it helped? I did a google search of infection/vaccination rates on google “covid cases austria/usa” and found that Austria’s infection rates appear to be 4X higher than the USA which, IMO, has a state-by-state hit or miss approach.
When I was in Ukraine visiting relatives, masks seemed a bit of a joke. The few who wore them had them on their chins. People used crowded busses all the time. Only 1/3 of Ukrainians are vaccinated compared to the USA. Even under strict COVID protocols, the busses were running. I checked on google and infection rates seem to be about 3X the USA rate, but they appear to have plateaued.
The N95 mask requirement is only in VIE airport and on Austrian Airlines flights. Actually, mask wearing in Austria the past months has been barely evident. Even front line hotel employees at Park Hyatt and others are not wearing them.
I hope you advised these hotel employees that the CDC recommends masking in areas of substantial transmission, including vaccinated individuals.
Interesting. I saw the mask mandate for “public places” when I was checking in. I found this online:
https://www.thelocal.at/20211012/covid-rules-austria-pass-3g-tests-masks/
A great deal changed on November 8th. Prior to that though the only places you saw consistent mask wearing by more than 10% of the people were in the airport, buses, subway, and on planes.
Sure, but what is the alternative? You either let the surge rage on and then fall into triage care, killing more people; or you do a mass lockdown on everyone, regardless of vaccination status, and needlessly impinge on economic freedom for those who are of little risk of contributing to the surge on medical care.
I don’t like the approach, but it seems to be the “lesser of evils”
This is simply a false dichotomy. The more time passes and data collects, the more it is readily apparent that heavy-handed approaches do little or nothing to prevent covid, but cause serious harm to citizens. Comparing Sweden to the Netherlands or Belgium, Florida to New York or Illinois, or Mexico to Colombia demonstrate that locking people in their homes, closing schools and business, and enforcing strict mask mandates, social distancing rules, or other measures simply do not translate into better outcomes.
The best available data does indeed show benefits to lockdowns in terms of easing impacts on health care resources:
“Hypothetical lockdown timing was shown to be the critical parameter in ameliorating pandemic peak incidence. More importantly, we found that well-timed lockdowns can split the peak of hospitalizations into two smaller distant peaks while extending the overall pandemic duration. The timing of lockdowns reveals that a “tunneling” effect on incidence can be achieved to bypass the peak and prevent pandemic caseloads from exceeding hospital capacity.” (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-82873-2)
Fully vaccinated persons are a low risk to health care resources, while the unvaccinated are a present and serious threat.
Considering the data shows that lockdown measures are an effective measure of reducing impacts on health care resources, but the vaccinated do not present a serious risk, then it makes sense that lockdown measures should focus this vulnerable group only, e.g. the unvaccinated.
Evidently this is not a measure to use when health care resources are minimally impacted, but during a crisis-level surge, it appears to be a useful tool that minimizes health and economic burdens.
The study that you cited only uses models to predict that lockdowns help. Peer-reviewed studies using real-world data have clearly demonstrated the opposite. A study published in the Lancet looked at real data from 50 different countries and concluded ““…government actions such as border closures, full lockdowns, and a high rate of COVID-19 testing were not associated with statistically significant reductions in the number of critical cases or overall mortality,”
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30208-X/fulltext
Another, published in Frontiers of Public Health, examined 160 countries’ data and concluded ““Stringency of the measures settled to fight pandemia, including lockdown, did not appear to be linked with death rate,”
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.604339/full#SM6
Are you kidding? Do you think posting a link to Nature makes you seem “science-y?” That article is nothing approaching the “best available data.” It is a discussion of a model. Models of the pandemic have shown themselves to be very much flawed. Do I need to tell you about the egregiously bad one from Neil Ferguson’s team at Imperial College used by the UK government? Note that the article you linked to cites the Danish RCT (a “real” study) showing that masks don’t really do much at all. Lockdowns have horrible collateral effects that are not worth the lives they might save (if any), never mind the abrogation of our freedoms. What should have been done was to shield the most vulnerable (mainly the elderly). Instead, Democratic governors sent viral bombs in sick patients into care homes. Cuomie, you did a heck of a job!
“I’d rather take the risk of more easily catching COVID-19 from an idiot citizen”
But what of those who are more at risk from dying from the disease? And what if you get it and pass it on to someone else who wasn’t willing to take the risk and they die from it?
It’s funny, since obviously vaccines are failing at rapid rates.
Bill Gates mentioned this week, they don’t stop transmission.
And, their health benefits wane FAST. (3-6 months)
What does government do? Demand more.
Pretty classic authoritarians.
And everyone falls right in line. The public loves demanding others do what they want.
It works… until it doesn’t
I tend to agree that locking down a segment of the population, despite how angry we are at them, is not the answer. Austria has been very good though at Restaurants and Hotels requiring vaccination cards for entry. I think a better solution is to expand that to shops, department stores, subway, flights, etc. It’s a compromise in that you still allow them personal “freedoms” – but not in places where they infringe on others. Much like rules on smoking.
The approach of the Austrian government is one of safeguarding access to the public health system for the vaccinated who may need treatment [for covid or for anything else]. In more ‘normal’ times rationing takes place through gatekeeping- e.g. I have had to argue with GPs in the UK to get myself specialist referrals for anything, and I have ended up purchasing private cover in order to avoid the hassle. Whether one is a fan of public funding for healthcare or big government in general, it should be obvious that there cannot be unlimited access with no cost at the point of care, and the only real question here is whether the measures are proportionate.
You are literally insane, Matthew: “There are no valid logical reasons to abstain from a COVID-19 vaccine from a risk/benefit perspective”
Absolutely insane. May God strike you down.
The only reason to n0t get the CoV-19 vaccination is if you’re anaphylactic to all available agents (extraordinarily rare, I believe the incidence is something like 1-2/100,000) or temporarily deferred following monoclonal antibody or convalescent plasma treatment for CoV-19 infection.
No other reason is founded in science. Even for those with little to minimal benefit from vaccination, e.g. severely immunodeficient, have no contraindication to vaccination.
You, UA, and Matthew are INSANE.
Just a sampling as to WHY:
Vaccine-Injured Speak Out, Feel Abandoned by Government Who Told Them COVID Shot Was Safe – https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/ron-johnson-people-injured-covid-vaccine/
Professional Mountain Bike Racer Describes Life-Altering Vaccine Injuries After Second Pfizer COVID Shot – https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/kyle-warner-vaccine-injuries-pfizer-covid-shot/
Cancer Survivor Says Pfizer Vaccine Injuries ‘Far Worse’ Than Cancer – https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/diane-ochoa-guillain-barre-pfizer-covid-vaccine-injuries/
Gov. Newsom Injured by Moderna Booster Shot, Source Tells The Defender – https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/gov-gavin-newsom-moderna-booster-vaccine
Tennis Pro Says ‘Season Is Over’ After COVID Vaccine Injury – https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/tennis-pro-jeremy-chardy-pfizer-covid-vaccine-injury
4,000 Patents: Why the ‘Novel’ SARS-CoV-2 Virus Isn’t so Novel – https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/david-martin-patents-recombinant-coronavirus
At this point I think Matthew knows the truth, because could he really be this stupid? Perhaps. But I think it’s more of an ego thing. I suspect that his Leo self will never admit that he was wrong, so he’s going down with the Titanic just like y’all.
Such a damn shame.
You, Matthew, and UA-NYC are legit insane.
—
For those who missed my reply because it was censored, I was replying to Matthew regarding this insane statement in his recent Austria article where he stated: “There are no valid logical reasons to abstain from a COVID-19 vaccine from a risk/benefit perspective.” This was part of my rebuttal:
Please use Google to research these headlines or quotes, seeing that direct links keep sending my comment to moderation to be censored and deleted by Matthew:
1) Vaccine-Injured Speak Out, Feel Abandoned by Government Who Told Them COVID Shot Was Safe
2) Professional Mountain Bike Racer Describes Life-Altering Vaccine Injuries After Second Pfizer COVID Shot
3) Cancer Survivor Says Pfizer Vaccine Injuries ‘Far Worse’ Than Cancer
4) Gov. Newsom Injured by Moderna Booster Shot, Source Tells The Defender
5) Tennis Pro Says ‘Season Is Over’ After COVID Vaccine Injury
6) 4,000 Patents: Why the ‘Novel’ SARS-CoV-2 Virus Isn’t so Novel
There are countless more stories like this, both told and untold. The above is only a sampling. My own personal family and network have stories untold since being vaccinated. Everyone regrets it. EVERY SINGLE RUSHED VACCINE IN HISTORY HAS BEEN TAKEN OFF THE MARKET.
EVERY SINGLE ONE.
Thomas Massie tweeted this week: “Anyone who believes a U.S. President can unilaterally impose a medical treatment on all Americans as a condition of employment is constitutionally illiterate and morally bankrupt.”
The Nomad Soul tweeted today: “Suggesting shots aren’t dangerous because you got them and are fine is like saying that russian roulette isn’t dangerous because you played and survived. It’s called gaslighting.”
And now you’re in a rush to vaccinate your 5 to 11 year olds? What kind of demented reality is this? Just because you were brainwashed and misled doesn’t mean everyone needs to be. Thanks though!
Why don’t you tell us all about the dozens of people you know personally who have heart issues from the vaccines? Because that would actually make some news (given that in ~7B or so shots globally, this isn’t an issue)
The pandemic has created armies of little latter-day Lysenkos who “follow the science.” Why should we ever doubt pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers? Why shouldn’t we believe public health officials who are on record admitting they lied? Have you ever taken Vioxx? Seldane? Fen-phen? Are you a thalidomide baby? Theranos? You have no reason to doubt the people in charge, right? For some reason I suspect you doubted anything the Bad Orange Man had to say, though. But anti-vaxx, insurrection, white supremacy! SCIENCE! Always stay on the right side of history, comrade.
People like Matthew, Avery, and UA are in the biggest cult ever known to man.
@Matthew
Your assertions are very much contestable.
For relatively young, fit folx, there is not much benefit to getting vaccinated. For children, there is virtually no benefit. Why get injected with something that doesn’t even stop infection and spread? Have you seen the data from the UK government showing that case rates are higher among vaccinated adults than among unvaccinated ones? How many times do I have to state that there are no long term studies on the safety of the novel vaccines? Have you read at all about original antigenic sin with regard to these vaccines?
If business can require their employees and customers be vaccinated, they should be free to discriminate in other ways as well, no matter how despicable they might seem.
For those who are most at risk of dire outcomes from COVID-19, getting vaccinated is probably worth it. Trying to force everyone else to get vaccinated as well for little benefit is not only unjust, it is unscientific and quite possibly harmful to the public health in the long run. The COVID-19 vaccine rollout is nothing like how the measles or polio vaccines were introduced.
You need to look at the actual data and not media reports
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2785664
At least the JNJ works mainly by stopping transmission, 1 shot reduces transmission by 73 percent
You have about as much chance as changing the minds of these these moronic anti-vaxxers as you do the Jan 6 Insurrection supporters…they live in an alternate reality. Thankfully, they are mostly unhireable and at the fringes of society (except for Congress of course).
Really? I’ve posted about this before. Check page 22 of the latest UK vaccine surveillance report. Outcomes are worse for the unvaccinated, but infections/cases are far more prevalent among the vaccinated. Folx like UA-CCP don’t care if the unvaccinated deplorables die (he actually wishes death upon me), so what’s the problem? It seems to be a pandemic of the vaccinated. Maybe the “double-jabbed” are actually the ones killing the mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging MAGA goons. Literal murder! Justified homicide, though, right?
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1032859/Vaccine_surveillance_report_-_week_45.pdf
Well stated!
I also heard that the death rate in Israel amongst the vaccinated is now the same as the unvaccinated. And the population there is about 90-95%vaccinated. Clearly this is not a true vaccine.
My only take is that unfortunately Brandon’s crew is probably looking at this now and will be happier than a mfker to enforce something similar in the USA, crippling inflation and supply chain crisis be damned.
Even if the vaccines actually (100%) prevented the transmission or breakthrough of COVID, this would be a horrible overreach. However, they do none of those things. What they do is offer some protection to the vaccinated person which makes it far less likely that they’ll end up in a hospital (or morgue) because of the Wuhan Special. For that reason, I got the jab as soon as I could. But, the flip side to this is: if you decide not to vaccinate, that’s up to you and your analysis of risk.
As a vaccinated person, I’m not any more likely to get it from the unvaccinated as I am from a vaccinated carrier. So, why go all nazi on this group? They aren’t the ones who conducted (and funded) the gain of function research and then brought it home in Wuhan. Be pissed at that bunch. But just as slavery is ok as long as China uses it to make Nikes, COVID is the fault of some poor unvaccinated person and not the CCP and their benefactor Fauci. Who tortures puppies, btw.
How about if the % of hospitalized patients goes above 30% UN-vaccinated people, they should lock down. Anyone who is vaccinated should be excluded from that count. Otherwise why are we locking down un-vaccinated people because Vaccinated people are getting sick??
FWIW I got the JnJ vax earlier this year.
Lockdowns are not and have never been a public health technique. Prior to Covid, in fact, that central premise of all pandemic preparedness plans was to prioritize the maintenance of normal social and economic activity.
Xi Jinping breathed the concept into the global consciousness, after having hatched the idea (known in Chinese as “fang kong”) as a means of eradicating the virus of extremism (his words, not mine) from the Uighurs in East Turkestan.
The fact that so many sheep in Western countries now accept lockdown as settled science is horrifying. Any population that complies with this gets what they deserve.
Ok then lol You are a funny guy.
Fascism is funny! Hail Xi and his ideology, the essence of Chinese culture! When will the CCP run a candidate for President in the US? Wait…
There should be a correction to the bullet points being that immunocompromised people really need the vaccine.
People who are vaccinated should not be too smug because their immunity may be waning. The hepatitis B vaccine requires 3 shots so 3 shots is not a sign of vaccine problems.
I meant people who unable to receive vaccines due to the body’s immediate response/rejection. How would you say it?
I feel like this is probably more justifiable in Austria because they do not have a private insurance system. If you get sick, the government will have to pay for it. While the law allows companies and individuals to opt out and buy private insurance, the reality is few do. So the government can show stopping COVID transmission is a budgetary issue as well as a public health issue.
A sampling:
Vaccine-Injured Speak Out, Feel Abandoned by Government Who Told Them COVID Shot Was Safe – https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/ron-johnson-people-injured-covid-vaccine/
Professional Mountain Bike Racer Describes Life-Altering Vaccine Injuries After Second Pfizer COVID Shot – https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/kyle-warner-vaccine-injuries-pfizer-covid-shot/
Cancer Survivor Says Pfizer Vaccine Injuries ‘Far Worse’ Than Cancer – https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/diane-ochoa-guillain-barre-pfizer-covid-vaccine-injuries/
Gov. Newsom Injured by Moderna Booster Shot, Source Tells The Defender – https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/gov-gavin-newsom-moderna-booster-vaccine
Tennis Pro Says ‘Season Is Over’ After COVID Vaccine Injury – https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/tennis-pro-jeremy-chardy-pfizer-covid-vaccine-injury
4,000 Patents: Why the ‘Novel’ SARS-CoV-2 Virus Isn’t so Novel – https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/david-martin-patents-recombinant-coronavirus
You may be willing to take the risk of catching covid from an unvaccinated person. But would you be okay with your child dying after catching covid from an unvaxxed cult member? That would show your true dedication
I’m not “okay” with my child dying…but life is but a risk and yes, I make no exception for my 1-year-old or 5-year-old. From dust we came and from dust we shall return. We do a lot of driving, a lot of flying, a lot of crossing streets and walking around the neighborhood. All dangerous in the sense that it can lead to death. But we have to live our lives.
Fair enough. I hope it never comes to that. But if it does, I will say “I told you so”
It’s also not like it’s a full lockdown for them. They are still allowed out for work, shopping for essentials, and to stretch their legs. It’s not like the carrot has worked with those misinformed anti vax types. Time for the stick.
You also fail to understand the danger of newer variants. The more the virus multiplies the higher the chance of mutations which can be even more harmful.
Viruses don’t recognise freedoms.
It is obvious why the public health establishment and the mainstream media do not publicize the age-stratified statistics on COVID-19. Think of the children! Oh, wait, only 595 deaths “involving COVID-19” for those younger than 18 throughout the entire pandemic? Most likely with serious comorbidities? More kids die from drowning every year.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm
Your kids are at very, very low risk of bad outcomes if they get infected. They are also probably more likely to catch the virus from someone who was vaccinated than someone who was not. Stay scared and ignorant by “following the science.”
Presented by Capital One
This is the kind of fascism that I like
Lol
Good for Austria and any other EU country that wants to implement it.
Any one who doesn’t want to protect themselves or their neighbor should stay home. Yes yes there are break through cases but vaccines lessen the severity of outbreaks and keep all but severe cases out of hospitals.