The trouble with Austria’s vaccine passport plan

Are vaccine passports being used in other countries in an attempt to cut Covid infections – or to try and boost vaccine take up by curtailing the social lives of those who refuse? The latest change in policy in Austria would appear to confirm that for them, it’s the latter. From today, access to restaurants, bars and any event with more than 25 guests will be limited to people who can prove they have been fully vaccinated, that they have previously recovered from Covid or that they have had one jab and a negative PCR test. In four weeks’ time, only the double-jabbed and those who can show they have recovered from Covid will be allowed in.

Austria, like many EU countries, has had a vaccine passport scheme for several months. But, until now, the unvaccinated could still access bars, restaurants and events – providing they could show a recent, negative Covid test. 

You can understand why Austria might want to take action against a rising number of Covid infections, which have spiked to 10,000 a day over the past couple of weeks: a higher rate of recorded cases than at any point during the pandemic.