Inside Europe’s tough rules for the unvaccinated as Covid cases explode

The continent is in the grip of its toughest Covid battle yet – and some nations are going to extreme lengths to crack down on the unvaccinated.

As Covid-19 cases explode across Europe, individual nations are cracking down on the unvaccinated in a desperate attempt to prevent a health catastrophe.

Earlier this month, the WHO issued a chilling warning for the months ahead, claiming the incredible pace of transmission was now a cause of “grave concern”, and that deaths across the continent could reach 500,000 by February.

At the time, WHO regional director Hans Kluge said Europe was “once again at the epicentre” of the pandemic, and urged residents to get vaccinated as the Delta variant continued its lethal spread.

Since then, a number of European nations have responded to the growing crisis, with many reinstating previously relaxed Covid rules, while others introduced brand new measures.

After making headlines for becoming the first EU nation to scrap all Covid restrictions in September, Denmark has now reintroduced coronavirus passports, which will now need to be used to prove an individual’s vaccination or recovery status before entering venues.

This week, Austria took the drastic step of placing around two million unvaccinated citizens in lockdown, after emerging as one of the least-vaccinated countries in Europe.

Austria has announced a lockdown for the unvaccinated. Picture: Jan Hetfleisch/Getty Images

Also this week, the Netherlands became the first western European country to go back into a full lockdown since summer amid soaring restrictions.

And now, it looks like other countries are set to follow suit.

Germany is poised to follow Austria’s lead by imposing restrictions specifically on the unvaccinated, with the nation’s likely new coalition government revealing its potential plan in parliament.

Under the proposal – described as a “lockdown for the unvaccinated” by Green Party co-leader Robert Habeck – Germans would need to have proof of either their vaccination status or a negative test before being allowed to use public transport or enter their workplace, which would expand the country’s so-called “3G” pandemic system.

The coalition is also pushing for a vaccine mandate for certain industries.

Germany seems to be following’s Austria’s lead. Picture: Maja Hitij/Getty Images

But specific rules for the unvaccinated only have already started to be rolled out in Germany, with the state of Saxony barring those who cannot prove they have either been fully vaccinated or recovered from non-essential services and stores, with tests also potentially needed in the near future if cases continued to rise.

North Rhine Westphalia will also likely adopt Saxony’s rules, with the unvaccinated set to be banned from sport games and Christmas markets, and Berlin has already rolled out similar restrictions.

It’s a similar story in Greece, which recently brought in a rule requiring the unvaccinated to undergo rapid or PCR tests before entering services like banks and shops and venues such as cafes and restaurants.

While that measure sparked strike action, authorities have refused to back down, instead insisting even harsher restrictions for the unvaccinated were being considered.

A woman walks past a closed cafe in Thessaloniki on November 16 after restaurant, cafe and bars owners staged a 24-hours strike, protesting Covid-19 related measures and high energy costs. Picture: Sakis MITROLIDIS/AFP

Over in France, booster shots will be mandatory for over-65s who want a health pass, and the nation is also clamping down on unvaccinated foreign visitors from a string of EU nations, while in Italy, workers will need to prove vaccination, a recent recovery from the virus or undertake regular tests.

As cases – and fatalities – continue to soar across the continent, and only likely to worsen as the winter months take hold, Austria’s chancellor Alexander Schallenberg sums up the crisis best.

“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,” he told local radio station Ö1.