Austria lifted the blockade of vaccinated people in most of the country three weeks after reintroducing strict rules to counter the rising wave of coronavirus infections. Regionally different rules permit primarily the reopening of theaters, museums and other cultural and recreational facilities on Sundays. Business continues as normal on Monday. Some areas will reopen restaurants and hotels on Sunday, others will wait until the end of the month. In either case, the restaurant has a curfew at 11:00 pm and a mask is required for  public transport, stores and public spaces. 

Prime Minister Karl Nehammer made the announcement last week. This gives each of Austria's nine regions the opportunity to relax or tighten restrictions depending on the circumstances of the region. Unvaccinated people are still subject to blockade restrictions and need to stay at home. The hospitalizations for the virus have not decreased as much as the new cases. Currently, there are  567 coronavirus patients in intensive care units nationwide, slightly less than 572 on the first day of the blockade last month. 

Austrian officials have emphasized the need for high vaccination rates  to contain the virus. Only 67.7% of the population is fully vaccinated, a relatively low percentage in Western Europe, and the government is taking steps to pressure unvaccinated people to be vaccinated. These measures include a national vaccination obligation that will come into force in February for all residents over the age of 14. Failure to comply can result in fines of up to 4000 dollars.

Tens of thousands of people across the country have been protesting both blockage restrictions and future vaccination obligations in recent weeks. According to police, 44,000 people participated in a demonstration in the capital Vienna on Saturday. Since the start of the blockade, the number of new cases in Austria has plummeted. On Friday, the country reported 367.5 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants, down from 1,102.4 on the first day of the November blockade.