Austria will be imposing a lockdown on the unvaccinated as it battles mounting rates of COVID-19 infection, in one of the most contentious measures in Europe to try to contain the pandemic.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said a nationwide lockdown for those who had not been jabbed would apply starting Monday.

The measures were needed to protect the rights of those who had been vaccinated or recovered from the virus. “I don’t see why two-thirds of the population should lose their freedom because another third hesitates,” Schallenberg said.

Unvaccinated people are already not allowed to visit country’s restaurants, bars and entertainment venues.

According to public health data, some 33.6% of Austrians have yet to take a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine — one of the lowest rates in the EU.

Austria this week recorded its highest infection ever since the pandemic started, with a rolling seven-day average of 9,593 daily infections reached on Thursday. 

“The lockdown for the unvaccinated . . . is unconstitutional, inhuman, harassing, completely illogical and not based on any evidence . . . With this step, Schallenberg and Co make their totalitarian attitude clear to everyone,” Kickl wrote in a media statement.

Police would be deployed to conduct spot checks in public places to check people’s vaccination status, the interior ministry said. Citizens who break the rules will face steep fines.

Schallenberg said additional measures were also under consideration, such as a mandatory vaccination requirement for employees in certain roles or workplaces.