Days after Austria imposed a lockdown on the unvaccinated, it has announced a full national Covid-19 lockdown starting on Monday.
Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said it would last a maximum of 20 days and there would be a legal requirement to get vaccinated from 1 February 2022.
The moves come as vaccinations in Austria have plateaued at one of the lowest rates in Western Europe, and as hospitals in heavily hit states have warned that their intensive care units are reaching capacity.
Many other European countries are imposing restrictions as cases rise.
“We don’t want a fifth wave,” said Schallenberg after meeting the governors of Austria’s nine provinces at a resort in the west of the country.