(ANSA-AFP) - VIENNA, JUN 23 - The Austrian government said Thursday it will scrap the country's controversial policy of mandatory vaccination against the coronavirus, just months after it became law. The measure -- which was an EU first -- came into legal effect at the beginning of February and the first checks had been planned for mid-March, with those refusing to get the jab facing fines of up to 3,600 euros ($4,100). However, the measure was suspended in March before any checks took place, with the government saying such a far-reaching measure could no longer be justified by the danger the coronavirus posed. Health Minister Johannes Rauch told a press conference that the measure had caused deep divisions in the country of nine million and said that the element of compulsion had even deterred some people from getting the jab. "The mandate isn't bringing anyone to get vaccinated," he said. The Omicron variant had also "changed the rules", Rauch added, as the wave driven by that variant tended to lead to cases with milder symptoms.

(ANSA-AFP).