In England, the prime minister now talks about compulsory vaccinations, just six months after proclaiming "Freedom Day” from coronavirus restrictions. In Germany, the new chancellor has endorsed barring unvaccinated people from much of public life. Next door, in Austria, the unvaccinated will remain confined to their homes, even after the government lifts a lockdown Sunday.
Across Europe’s democracies, the latest wave of the pandemic is prompting governments to reimpose sweeping restrictions on free movement and mixing in their societies. Only this time, many of the rules single out those who are not vaccinated. That has stirred angry street protests and rekindled a searing debate over how much countries should curtail individual liberties in the name of public health.
Some of the most abrupt reversals are occurring in countries where the laws and culture cherish the sanctity of personal rights. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s new measures kicked off a mutiny in his Conservative Party, with lawmakers calling his embrace of vaccine passes "discriminatory” and an affront to the country’s hallowed principles. Similar protests echo in France and Germany.