Austria plans to impose a fine of 3,600 Euros (RM17,000) on defaulters every three months, that is those who refuse to be vaccinated but the authorities say it is not a punishment.
“We don’t want to punish those who are not vaccinated. We want to win their hearts and convince them to receive the vaccine,” Constitutional Affairs Minister Karoline Edtstadler said, at a news conference on Thursday.
It will be the first European Union country to take such action.
However, the measures scheduled to be implemented from Feb 2022 to Jan 2024 need to be approved by Parliament. So far, two opposition parties have expressed support.
