Austria has placed its unvaccinated citizens back in lockdown to encourage more people to have the jab. Alexander Schallenberg (Austrian Chancellor) announced Sunday that anyone who is eligible for COVID-19 vaccination but has not had it recently or who doesn’t have the necessary recovery time will be required to remain at home. Politico.
This means that people under 12 years old will not be permitted to go outside the home to shop or walk. Los Angeles Times. Reports indicate that those with negative COVID-19 tests will also be allowed to return to work. The Guardian.
This policy will affect approximately 2 million of Austria’s nearly 9million inhabitants. Austria has a low rate of vaccination, with only 63 percent being fully covered. Over the weekend, 13,000 COVID-19 new cases were reported in Austria.
In a radio interview, the chancellor stated that “We didn’t take it lightly.” “My aim is very clearly to get the unvaccinated to get themselves vaccinated and not to lock down the vaccinated, in the long term, the way out of this vicious circle we are in—and it is a vicious circle, we are stumbling from wave to lockdown, and that can’t carry on ad infinitum—is only vaccination.”
Violators will receive 500 Euro ($572) in fines. Random stops by police will be made to enforce this lockdown policy. According to the BBC, those who refuse or are not willing to take part in these checks could be subjected to an additional 1,450 euro ($1,658).
Karl Nehammer (Interior Minister) of the Austrian People’s Party said that it could occur at any moment and from anywhere. The Guardian. “Every citizen must expect to be checked.”
The lockdown will last no less than 10 days.
Responding to the lockdown that took place in Vienna’s capital, protests broke out and the Freedom Party promised to fight its legality.
Austria is not the only country that wants to protect the unvaccinated. German politicians have also been considering similar restrictions. The left-wing Greens, Social Democrats and the classic liberal Free Democrats proposed this week that unvaccinated individuals must pass a COVID-19 negative test to travel on public transport.
Robert Habeck (Green co-chair) stated that restrictions were a lockdown on the unvaccinated. Politico. Berlin and other German governments went further, denying access to public places, such as theaters and restaurants, to those who are not vaccinated, starting this week.
FREE MINDS
American journalist, who was held by Myanmar’s military government, has been released and is now on his way to America. Danny Fenster is the managing editor for this online magazine Frontier MyanmarOn Monday, he was released and permitted to leave the country.
Fenster was convicted of spreading false information or inflaming others, making contact with illegal organisations and violating visa regulations. The Associated Press reported that he was sentenced at 11 years to hard labor.
His trial was scheduled for a variety of other, more severe charges including sedition that could have led to him being imprisoned forever. Bill Richardson, a former governor of New Mexico and diplomat was able to travel to Myanmar in order for the journalist’s freedom.
Myanmar’s military government convicted at most seven journalists after it ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
The U.S. State Department criticized Fenster’s imprisonment, as did the New York–based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Shawn Crispin (CPJ’s Senior Southeast Asia Representative) said in a statement that “We regret today’s harsh decision against journalist Danny Fenster,” and called for his unconditional and immediate release. Myanmar should stop imprisoning journalists who are simply reporting on the news.
FREE MARKETS
San Francisco’s restrictive permitting system continues to crush another small business. Clint Tan and Yoko Tan spent thousands trying to create a permanent space for a ramen noodle restaurant in the Inner Richmond area of the city. You can find more information at www.as.wikipedia.org San Francisco Chronicle Heather Knight, columnist reports that it all went sour.
The Tans only wanted to take over the small space available to serve ramen three nights per week to 10 people. Although they thought it would be easy to transform one Japanese restaurant in San Francisco into another, opening a new business is not.
They are now $100,000 deep in debt, far from being open and filled with regrets.
They admit that they can be like “deer without a headlight” when it comes down to the complicated permitting process in their city. But they would still love more direction. Perhaps they could have hired an experienced permit expediter.
The whole article is available here.
QUICK HITS
• Moving more public hearings online was supposed to make them more accessible and democratic. They are still controlled by unrepresentative loudmouths. Michael Hendrix writes at Governance.
• A 2019 U.S. military airstrike targeting ISIS in Syria ended up killing as many as 70 civilians, according to a new investigation from The New York Times Published Saturday. According to the, the military tried everything possible to hide civilian deaths. Times‘ reporting.
• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.) On Twitter, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) stated that billionaires need to be taxed higher. Elon Musk, a billionaire, replied that he keeps forgetting about you.
• Rising inflation is pushing the price of gold higher.
• Closing arguments in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial are set to begin today.
• The relationship between President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris is reportedly at a low, reports CNN. White House staff complained about Harris’ inability to focus. According to people close to Harris, she is being made to fail. Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary, stated on Twitter that everything works behind-the scenes. If you have to say it…
If Harris were the manager of a soccer team, this statement would be the immediate prelude to a sacking https://t.co/W6jUvNVslT
— Eric Boehm (@EricBoehm87) November 15, 2021