Not just Austria: Which countries have made COVID-19 vaccines mandatory?

Austria is not the first country to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations, with several countries enforcing tough restrictions on the unvaccinated as infections grow.

Open Sign For Small Business Owner At Work During Pandemic -

A woman wearing a protective face mask hangs an open sign on the window of her store in Indonesia. Source: E+

The Austrian government has recently announced it will make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory from 1 February, becoming the first EU country to do so. 

But it remains unclear what penalties will be in place for those who flout the mandatory policy.

The strict measures come after COVID-19 cases skyrocketed in Austria, with the country seeing a fourth wave of infections.

Days after Austria imposed a lockdown on the unvaccinated, it announced a full national COVID-19 lockdown starting on Monday.

The restrictions will be in force for 20 days, with the rules prohibiting Austrians from leaving home except to go to work, shop for essentials and exercise. Schools will remain open, although children are encouraged to stay home if possible. 
People wearing face mask as they visit a Christmas market in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, 17 November 2021.
People wearing face mask as they visit a Christmas market in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, 17 November 2021. Source: AAP
"We have to look reality in the face," Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said at a news conference on Saturday.

"Despite months of work on persuasion, we have not succeeded in convincing enough people to get vaccinated.

"Increasing the vaccination rate durably is the only way of getting out of this vicious circle."

Where are COVID-19 vaccines mandatory?

Austria is not the first country to enforce COVID-19 jabs.

Despite claiming to have recorded zero deaths and infections of COVID-19, Turkmenistan was the first country to make vaccination compulsory for all eligible adults in July. 

Only those with medical contraindications are exempt from the mandatory vaccination policy.

The government of Turkmenistan has drawn criticism from the World Health Organization for its refusal to provide data on COVID-19 cases and deaths.

The central Asian country joins North Korea and the Pacific Islands of Nauru and Tuvalu who have yet to report a single case of COVID-19 to the World Health Organization.
man wearing mask seen in front of Greek parliament.
A pedestrian wearing a face mask to curb the spread of COVID-19 walks in front of the Greek parliament in central Athens. Source: AAP Image/AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis
Indonesia introduced a mandatory policy for COVID-19 vaccines in February. Residents face harsh penalties if they are unvaccinated, including fines and the denial of social assistance and government services.

Indonesia is fighting one of Asia's biggest coronavirus outbreaks and aims to vaccinate 181.5 million of its 270 million population within 15 months.

"Sanctions are our last effort to encourage people's participation," Health Ministry official Siti Nadia Tarmizi said.
Workers in protective suits carry a coffin containing the body of a COVID-19 victim for a burial at a cemetery in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on 14 July, 2021.
Workers in protective suits carry a coffin containing the body of a COVID-19 victim for a burial at a cemetery in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on 14 July, 2021. Source: AP
Micronesia mandated vaccinations for those over the age of 18 in July. The small island nation required anyone receiving federal funds to prove their vaccination status to receive their cheques.

That policy captured a large segment of the population, including everyone from business owners getting pandemic stimulus payments to government workers and pensioners getting social security benefits.

Referring to the vaccine mandate, Micronesia President David Panuelo said: "I guess freedoms these days are important but how can freedoms be important if you die from them?"

"You don’t have to wear a mask. Our children are still going to school," Mr Panuelo said in September. 

"There is no virus right now. We’re enjoying the daily freedoms like we’ve been enjoying prior to the COVID breakout. And so we want to keep it this way."

With Reuters


Share
3 min read
Published 20 November 2021 3:38pm
By Eden Gillespie
Source: SBS News



Share this with family and friends