Austria vaccine mandate to take effect, but few emulating it

By EMILY SCHULTHEIS and GEIR MOULSON
Associated Press

VIENNA (AP) — A law requiring most adults in Austria to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is ready to take effect, but the sense of urgency that accompanied its announcement in November has largely evaporated. Few other countries look likely to go as far as Austria as attention turns to loosening restrictions. The mandate for people 18 and over to get vaccinated, the first of its kind in Europe, cleared its last legislative hurdle Thursday night. It’s expected to become law in the coming days but it will be a while before Austrians notice any practical change. It isn’t clear when or even whether the toughest part of the plan, which was watered down from the initial proposal, will take effect.