The upper house of the Austrian Parliament passed a law on mandatory vaccination against coronavirus for adults, Reuters reported.

Nearly 69% of the Austrian population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the lowest rates in Western Europe.

The mandate, which is expected to be phased in, is likely to take effect within a few days, but there will be no checks until March 15, when police begin checking vaccination status. More thorough checks will start later, in the third phase, as soon as the vaccination registry is launched.

To add to the confusion about the mandate, the government is easing restrictions on the unvaccinated, who will soon no longer be barred from restaurants and shops as ICU bed occupancy is at a good level.

After the approval of the upper house, the bill must go through the formalities and be signed by President and Chancellor, after which it will enter into force. This process usually takes several days.