Living with Covid & Unvaccinated

For three years, we’ve been told we’re at war with an invisible enemy. We beat this enemy in a major battle through the discovery and distribution of the coronavirus vaccine. However, as the pandemic dragged on and life didn’t quite bounce back to normal as quickly as promised, politicians chose another enemy as their target: the unvaccinated.

Look at what’s happening in Europe. In Austria, where 75.4 percent of residents have been fully vaccinated, the government is threatening the unvaccinated with fines and imprisonment. In France, where 95 percent of the population is vaccinated, a negative test is no longer to be accepted as an alternative to proof of vaccination for many public places. The change isn’t about safety, as President Macron explained. His intention is to make life as difficult as possible for the unvaccinated, to “piss them off.”

About the Author

Madeleine Kearns

Madeleine Kearns is a former staff writer at National Review.

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For three years, we’ve been told we’re at war with an invisible enemy. We beat this enemy in a major battle through the discovery and distribution of the coronavirus vaccine. However, as the pandemic dragged on and life didn’t quite bounce back to normal as quickly as promised, politicians chose another enemy as their target: the unvaccinated.

Look at what’s happening in Europe. In Austria, where 75.4 percent of residents have been fully vaccinated, the government is threatening the unvaccinated with fines and imprisonment. In France, where 95 percent of the population is vaccinated, a negative test is no longer to be accepted as an alternative to proof of vaccination for many public places. The change isn’t about safety, as President Macron explained. His intention is to make life as difficult as possible for the unvaccinated, to “piss them off.”