COVID-19: Vienna brothel offers customers 30 minutes with 'lady of their choice' in exchange for coronavirus jab

A brothel in Vienna is providing COVID-19 vaccinations and giving those who take up the offer vouchers for a free visit.

Fun Palast is hoping to increase vaccination rates, as well as client numbers which have dropped because of the pandemic, according to Mail Online.

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In exchange for a jab, visitors get a free 30-minute session in a "sauna club" with the "lady of their choice".

Vaccination uptake levels in Austria are among the worst in western Europe leading the government to introduce tighter restrictions.

Roughly 64% of Austria's population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and those who are unjabbed are now banned from visiting cafes, restaurants and hairdressers.

The "2G" rule, which requires proof of full vaccination or recovery from coronavirus, will also be in place for hotel and cinema visits or events for more than 25 people.

There will be a four-week transition period in which a first vaccination plus a PCR test will grant admission to places where the unvaccinated will be banned.

The new rules, announced on Friday, came as new daily infections reached their highest in nearly a year.

The country reported 9,943 cases within a 24-hour period on Saturday, surpassing the previous worst day of 13 November 2020 when 9,586 were recorded.

The brothel is encouraging men and women to visit for vaccinations this month.

"Due to the pandemic, we have registered a 50% decrease [in clients], with this initiative we hope that the number of customers will rise again," Mail Online quotes the Fun Palast as saying.

A man named Gerhard who visited the brothel said: "I would have gotten vaccinated anyway but the 2G rule has certainly accelerated things a little.

"And since an acquaintance of mine organised this action I thought 'Lets go for it'.

"I think this is perfectly ok because we can achieve a better immunisation rate this way and that's necessary to end the pandemic at some point."

Peter Laskaris, manager of Fun Palast, told Reuters: "Basically, I was looking at the statistics and I read that we need like 70/75% for us to reach herd immunity, but we're currently only at 63%.

"And then I noticed in the statistics that very many men, very many men with a migration background, virtually refuse vaccination or don't even know that you can be vaccinated.

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"And since we are actually reaching this target group, we decided to set up a vaccination [clinic] here."

One of the women who works at Fun Palast, who gave her name as Mina, said: "Well, I think it's a very good idea to have a vaccination street in the Fun Palast, because the name fun palace suggest to have a bit of fun here and return back to normality a bit more.

"And I also think it's a great idea that this is being offered for women, children and of course men."

Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg has reportedly said that Austria's latest measures to tackle the spread of coronavirus will likely stay in force over Christmas and New Year.