The Austrian government is ramping up its draconian measures against those who refuse the vaccine, with a threat to “hunt down vaccine refusers.” The move is an escalation of its plans to fine any individual that refuses the shot amid its imposition of a vaccine mandate across the country.

The government will place the burden for enforcing the fines on unvaccinated Austrians on their employers, essentially turning regular citizens into “inspectors” to ensure vaccination compliance.

In the Austrian city of Linz, which has a below-average vaccination rate of 63 per cent, the city wants to hire people to hunt down vaccine refusers, according to Swiss publication Blick.

The job of the inspectors will be to check on “whether those who do not get vaccinated really pay for it.” Under the proposal, the vaccine Stasi will receive a wage of €2,774 ($3,136 USD), to be paid 14 times a year. Effectively functioning as a part-time job, those who take on the role can expect a salary of €38,864 ($43,938 USD).

“The job includes, among other things, the creation of penal orders as well as the processing of appeals,” the report detailed. “In addition, the hunters should be resilient and willing to work. Specifically: ready to work more overtime!”

Naturally, applicants must hold Austrian citizenship, and require vaccinations against COVID-19, or have fully recovered from COVID-19.

As previously reported by Rebel News, Austria was the first European country to introduce strict lockdowns, with a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination rule set for February 1, 2022. Those who refuse the vaccine will face fines up to €7,200 ($8,140), and those who refuse to pay the fine could face up to 12 months in jail.

Under the mandate, anyone over the age of 14 must be vaccinated, or pay the price of non-compliance.

The most recent lockdown lasted for three weeks and has since been lifted on December 12, with the government crediting the lowest case count in over two months to the draconian effort.