Austria has unveiled contentious plans to impose strict coronavirus curbs on the unvaccinated and the Netherlands is imposing another nationwide lockdown, becoming the first western EU nation to restore sweeping restrictions since the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, as countries across Europe rush to contain surging infections.

Austria’s chancellor Alexander Schallenberg on Friday said the federal government was seeking a nationwide lockdown for those who have not been jabbed, to apply from Monday.

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