Will France implement an Austria-like lockdown to tackle next Covid-19 wave?

As the fifth wave of the Covid-19 epidemic begins to gather momentum across Europe, leaders in France and its European neighbours have introduced a wide range of measures to protect their populations, including mandatory mask wearing, remote working and booster vaccines.

Citizens in Vienna wearing masks during the April 2021 lockdown (illustration). AP - Florian Schroetter

The recent spike in figures has prompted countries such as Austria and the Netherlands to introduce partial lock-downs.

"The fifth wave has started in Europe, from the UK to Germany, where more than 30,000 new cases are recorded each day," Emmanuel Macron noted in his televised speech last Tuesday.

He suggested that situation in France was slightly better than other countries, thanks to a high level of vaccination, with around 75 percent of the population now fully vaccinated.

But with the number of infections on the rise in recent weeks, Macron chose to focus on the need for vulnerable people and the elderly to get their third booster shots, warning that their health pass could be invalidated if they didn't get the jab. 

He also announced that masks would again become mandatory in all French schools from 15th of November.

High alert

The health agency, Santé publique France, reported on1 the 10th of November, that the national infection rate for Covid-19 was close to 100 per 100,000 people, twice as high as the government's "warning" rate. The number of patients admitted to hospital has also jumped.

The areas which saw the highest rate of infections per 100,000 people across the past week included the island of Corsica with 131 cases per 100,000 (+46%), 108 in the central Pays de la Loire (+29%) and 106 en Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (+36%).

When asked about the possibility of a lockdown in France, like the new one in Austria, government spokesman Gabriel Attal told France 2 television on Saturday that nothing would be ruled out.

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"We mustn't rule anything out on principal," he said. "But I don't want to scare people, there's absolutely no question of a lockdown at the moment."

Ruling LREM party president Christophe Castaner, also interviewed on France 2 television echoed this position.

"We do not wish to see another lockdown for those people who are not vaccinated," Castaner said, referring to the decision taken by Austrian authorities.

"All hypotheses are on the table, as we are faced with a virus that continues to surprise us and can still surprise us further...France is not safe from another wave". 

Austria's response

Austria's parliament approved a lockdown as of Monday for people not vaccinated against Covid-19, a first in the EU.

About 65 percent of Austria's almost nine million people are vaccinated, below the EU average of 67 percent, while daily increases in infections have hit records this week.

Austria's lockdown means people over 12 who are not vaccinated or cannot show that they have recently recovered from Covid will not be allowed to leave the house except for reasons such as buying essential supplies, exercise or seeking medical care.

The government also announced that vaccinations will become mandatory for health workers.

"The situation is serious... We don't take this step with a light heart but unfortunately it is necessary," Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg told reporters in a televised press conference.

Children get jabs

Hundreds gathered outside the chancellory for his announcement in a noisy protest, waving banners that read "No to mandatory vaccination" and "Our body, our freedom to decide".

The lockdowns are to be enforced with random spot checks for the next 10 days with police patrols being stepped up. It will then be reviewed, according to the government.

Those who break the rules risk a 500-euro fine; those who refuse to show proof that they are vaccinated or have recently recovered can be fined three times as much.

The capital Vienna is further toughening rules, requiring PCR tests on top of being vaccinated or recovered to attend events of more than 25 people or go to bars and restaurants in the evening.

Also from Monday, Vienna will be the first region in the EU to offer jabs to children from the age of five to 11 at a vaccination centre.

Germany

Germany is preparing a return to working from home under draft legislation seen by AFP on Sunday, as the country tries to tackle an unprecedented wave of coronavirus cases.

Infections and deaths have been climbing steeply since mid-October, in an outbreak blamed on Germany's vaccination rate of just over 67 percent -- still leaving a large share of people more vulnerable to infection and severe disease.

At 289 cases per 100,000 people, the recorded incidence of the coronavirus reached a new high in Europe's most populous country on Sunday, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) health agency.

"The coming wave will overshadow all the previous waves," Saxony state premier Michael Kretschmer, whose region is currently amongst the worst hit, told German weekly Bild am Sonntag.

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Under the draft plan, employers in Germany would be forced to offer the option to work from home in the absence of a "compelling business reason" to come to the office.

Anyone going into work would also be asked to show they were protected against the virus or had tested negative.

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, Dutch premier Mark Rutte announced on Friday at least three weeks of lockdown measures targeting restaurants, shops and sporting events to curb a record spike in coronavirus infections.

Under Europe's first partial lockdown of the winter, bars, restaurants, cafes and supermarkets must shut at 8:00 pm and non-essential shops must shut at 6:00 pm, until 4 December.

Dutch police arrested 15 people in a town in the north of the Netherlands late Saturday during clashes with demonstrators who were protesting against the new measures.

Violent protests occurred in January when similar measures to curb the virus were announced.

Covid has killed at least 5,094,101 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.