They require people to stay home apart from basic reasons like getting groceries, going to the doctor and exercising.
Christmas markets across central Vienna were packed Sunday with people eager to buy gifts and enjoy one last round of warm drinks and food.
In an interview Sunday in the Kurier newspaper, Schallenberg said it’s “sad” that the Austrian government had to resort to a mandate in order to ensure that enough people get vaccinated.
On Saturday, Austria reported 15,297 new infections, after a week in which daily cases topped 10,000.
The new measures, especially the vaccine mandate, have been met with fierce opposition among some Austrians and vaccine skeptics.
Earlier this month, the government first tried to pressure unvaccinated people to get the jab, barring them from restaurants, hotels and large events.
At the Christmas market Sunday on Vienna’s iconic Rathausplatz square, Rene Schlosser and Silvia Weidenauer sipped mulled wine from heart-shaped red mugs.