Calvin Cheng suggests SG follow Austria’s example of locking down the unvaccinated

Singapore — Former Nominated MP Calvin Cheng thinks that all unvaccinated people should be locked down.

The businessman is known for expressing controversial opinions on socio-political matters.

Now, he says Singapore should follow Austria’s example of a “nationwide lockdown of only the unvaccinated”. Really?

Not so fast, Mr Cheng. It looks like he may have run ahead even of the Austrian federal government.

Upper Austria province will impose restrictions from Monday if the federal government there gives it the go-ahead. This is the province with the country’s highest infection level and – no surprises here – its lowest vaccination rate.

Famed tourist spot Salzburg is also considering additional restrictions for the unvaccinated, the BBC reports.

So, a nationwide lockdown is not yet a done deal although Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg thinks such a lockdown may be “inevitable”, reports the BBC.

These moves come in the wake of record infections across Austria.

Mr Cheng said  in a Facebook post on Friday morning:

“Let the vaccinated people go back to living a normal life,” explaining that unvaccinated PEOPLE are disproportionately getting sick and “clogging up hospitals worldwide”.

Should Upper Austria get the nod, and other places follow, the national lockdown described by Mr Cheng could happen. One reason is that at 65 per cent, Austria has the lowest vaccination rate in western Europe, next to Liechtenstein.

Already, unvaccinated individuals in Austria are not allowed to go to restaurants, cinemas, ski lifts, and hairdressers, and if Upper Austria’s plans for a stricter lockdown are followed, unvaccinated people there won’t be allowed out of their homes at all, except for essential reasons such as going to work, buying food or exercise.

“I don’t see why two-thirds should lose their freedom because one-third is dithering. For me, it is clear that there should be no lockdown for the vaccinated out of solidarity for the unvaccinated,” said Austrian chancellor Alexander Schallenberg.

In September, the Austrian government set up a plan for a lockdown of unvaccinated Austrians to be put in place when 30 per cent of ICU beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients. At present, the rate is at 20 per cent and steadily increasing.

Europe may well again be “back at the epicenter of the pandemic,” according to the Europe head of the World Health Organization last week, with the highest numbers of infections and deaths.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Wednesday (Nov 10) that France is already at the beginning of a fifth wave of the Covid epidemic.

Additional restrictions have also been recently imposed on unvaccinated individuals in parts of Germany with low vaccination rates such as Saxony, where in some areas, indoor dining venues, cinemas, and bars are already off-limits to the unvaccinated.

Many who have commented on Mr Cheng’s post agree with him.

One netizen even urged that Covid-19 vaccination be made mandatory.

/TISG

Read also: Calvin Cheng: Time to mandate vaccination for seniors, with criminal penalties for those who refuse

Calvin Cheng: Time to mandate vaccination for seniors, with criminal penalties for those who refuse