Austria vaccination mandate becomes law

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen signed into law on Friday a mandate for all eligible adults over 18 in the country to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

While some nations, like Italy, are mandating that adults over 50 or people who work in the medical industry get vaccinated, Austria's new law calling for the vaccination of all adults is the first of its kind in Europe.

Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein called it "a forward-looking and active step.''

However, it could be some time before the mandate takes practical effect, as the plan is to set it in motion in several steps that will take months. First, people will have their vaccine certificates ready to present at all times as of mid-March, and only later will the government use the national vaccine registry to track down who has not been jabbed and fine them.

Although Germany's parliament debated a mandate last week, it could be months before compulsory vaccine legislation becomes a reality in the Bundestag.