"Path to freedom": Austria signs sweeping COVID vaccine mandate into law

• Individuals could be fined up to four times a year. The law will last until Jan. 31, 2024.
• Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen signed the legislation into law, a day after it was approved by the country's parliament, CNN reported.

State of play: Pregnant people and those who cannot be inoculated because it could endanger their health are exempt from the mandate, per CNN.

• People who have been recently infected are also exempt, but only for the 180 days after the received their first positive COVID-19 test.

What they're saying: "The path to freedom is the vaccine mandate," said Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, when the law was being debated in the parliament last month, per the New York Times.

By the numbers: Austria has reported more than 2 million COVID cases as of Friday, according to government data.

• Nearly 17.8 million vaccine doses have been administered, Johns Hopkins University shows.

What to watch: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is pushing for a COVID vaccine mandate.

• A vote for it is expected at the end of March, per CNN.