“No return to lockdown is planned” in France, while Austria confines its entire population for the 4th time

By Maria Paula Carvalho

PARIS – Even though having one of the highest Covid-19 vaccination rates in Europe, France is facing its fifth wave of coronavirus. The country saw a critical rise in contaminations, and the government decided to reimpose more restrictions.

 Today, 77 percent of French people are fully vaccinated, while the European Union average would be 67 percent. However, as new infections exceeded a daily average of 10,000, President Emmanuel Macron announced new measures.

 During his speech to the nation, on November 5th, he urged seniors to get a Covid-19 vaccine booster shot. Without this third dose, the over-65s can even lose access to French health pass, on December 15. The pass provides access to restaurants, cultural events and even intercity rail lines.

A booster shot campaign for 50 to 64-year-olds is going to start early December. France will also make Covid-19 booster jabs available to all adults and reduce the gap from the last dose to five months, Health Minister Olivier Véran announced on this Thursday 25th. The health minister said booster jabs would be available to all people aged 18 or above, adding that France had sufficient supplies of vaccines. From January 15, he added, booster shots will become a requirement for a valid health pass.

Face masks once again are mandatory for the elementary schoolchildren. “The main objective is to keep the classes open, and keep the epidemic from getting out of control, at the schools and everywhere”, explained the French government.

The face protection had just been removed in October. Children from six to 11 are a segment of the French population that remains unvaccinated. The European Medicines Agency is currently evaluating data for Covid-19 vaccines for this age group with a decision expected on Pfizer's version, in December.  

The president Emmanuel Macron has described the pandemic situation in France "more favorable" than in other neighbors, such as the United Kingdom and Germany, but the numbers are a source of concern. France had a 40 percent rise in the Covid-19 incidence rate, over one week period.

Giving the pandemic, Macron said the conditions were not right to talk about his plan to reform France’s pension system.

Another Lockdown

As Europe has become the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic again, governments have to consider re-imposing unpopular measures. Austria entered its fourth national lockdown on Monday 22nd ,  after tens of thousands of people, most of them far-right supporters, have protested in Vienna.

Ahead of the Christmas holidays, the country shut its shops, restaurants and markets. The returning to a national lockdown is the most dramatic Covid-19 restriction seen in Western Europe in recent months. Austria's 8.9 million people are not allowed to leave home except to go to work, shop for essentials and exercise.

Are these measures justified or do they unfairly restrict people’s freedom of movement?

This is one of the main discussions in Europe now. Ultimately, do we have responsibilities toward those around us? 

Roughly 65% of Austria’s population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, which is one of the lowest rates in western Europe. Many Austrians are skeptical about vaccines, a view encouraged by the far-right wing party in the Parliament.

Due to resistance, the German state of Saxony put rules in place which exclude people who choose not to be vaccinated from many areas of public life. 

 In France, “no return to lockdown is planned either now or in the immediate or long-term future,” French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said, although he did add that nothing could be completely excluded. Previous lockdowns have been imposed in France only when hospitals were under severe pressure.

People who are unvaccinated already face a series of restrictions in France in order to access a wide range of everyday venues. The health pass is required to go to cafés, bars, restaurants, cinemas, leisure centers, gyms and long-distance travel.

The unvaccinated need to present a negative Covid test less than 24 hours old to use the pass. As the tests are no longer free in France, the unvaccinated have a choice of getting regular tests, with a cost of € 22 a time, or missing out on a range of leisure activities.

There is a possibility of more restrictions for the unvaccinated, following the lead of several other European countries. One idea discussed is replacing the ‘health pass’ with a ‘vaccine pass’. That would mean removing the option for unvaccinated people to take a Covid test in order to use the pass. But the measure is not envisaged for the moment.