Unvaccinated and undeterred: Austria holdouts dig in despite new law - Yahoo News
Unvaccinated and undeterred: Austria holdouts dig in despite new law
Austrian musician Katharina Teufel-Lieli is one of tens of thousands to have joined demonstrations against making the Covid jab compulsory (AFP/ALEX HALADA)
Despite vaccination against Covid-19 becoming mandatory in Austria on Friday, musician Katharina Teufel-Lieli insists she won't bow to pressure to get the jab.
"I have the right to decide over my body... to simply say 'no,'" the harpist told AFP at her home in Neumarkt-am-Wallersee, not far from the western city of Salzburg.
Austria this week becomes the first European Union country to make Covid-19 vaccination legally compulsory for adults.
Under the new law, those holding out against the jab can face fines of up to 3,600 euros ($4,100) from mid-March after an introductory phase.
Teufel-Lieli, 49, is one of tens of thousands to have joined massive demonstrations against the law and other coronavirus-related measures since November, when plans for the legal change were announced.
The mother of six said that she used to be "apolitical" but the state is "overstepping the mark" by "attacking people" through this act of "totalitarianism".
- Parallel society -
Access to certain services has already been restricted since last year under government-imposed measures.
Entry to restaurants, hairdressers, hotels, non-essential shops, sports and cultural venues has only been permitted since November to those who are vaccinated or recently cured.
This has sparked complaints within the retail sector about staff having to act as "an auxiliary police" in checking vaccine passes in shops.
Frustrations since the beginning of the pandemic have also led opponents to create a new political party, known by its acronym, MFG which stands for People, Freedom, Fundamental Rights.
One of three MFG representatives to have already won a state legislature seat, Dagmar Haeusler, said that she just did not see the point of compulsory Covid vaccination.
"If there was a valid reason, as with smallpox which has a mortality rate of 20 to 30 percent, we could talk about mandatory vaccination, which would benefit everyone.
source: https://news.yahoo.com/unvaccinated-undeterred-austria-holdouts-dig-041209279.html
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