Austria Enforces National Lockdown, Plans to Make COVID-19 Vaccinations Mandatory

Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg (OeVP) speaks during a press conference after a Corona crisis' summit with the government and provincial governors in Vienna, Austria, on Nov. 14, 2021. Georg Hochmuth/APA/AFP via Getty Images

Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg on Friday announced the country is enforcing a nationwide lockdown and also plans to require COVID-19 vaccinations for its entire population as of February.

“We have not succeeded in convincing enough people to get vaccinated,” Schallenberg said during a news conference, adding that the blanket requirement to get vaccinated against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus will start on Feb. 1.