Austria practically closes borders at Christmas and New Years

Austria practically closes borders at Christmas and New Years

It is a success for winter sports enthusiasts, but also for the Austrian tourism industry. The Vienna government has made the country’s lucrative Christmas holidays practically impossible. A ten-day quarantine obligation for all travelers from the risk areas of Corona, by definition, this also includes Germany, speaks against fun on the slopes of Arlberg, Kitzbühel or Saalbach-Hinterglemm. Accommodation and food would also be difficult to organize: hotels and restaurants in Austria will be closed until January 6. Initially, the government announced December 7 as the start date. It was later said that the quarantine requirement would apply “shortly before Christmas.”

Austria depends on a consistent border regime so returnees or tourists do not bring the virus into the country, Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said in Vienna on Wednesday. The threshold for risk areas is more than 100 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days. This applies in practice to all neighboring countries and especially to the Western Balkans, he said.

“The declining numbers that we are currently experiencing in Austria are a success, but they are no reason to give the go-ahead,” Kurz said in presenting the restrictions and easing. Because thanks to the blockade, an overload of the health system was avoided. Starting next Monday, shops, hairdressers and museums can reopen, taking into account the usual hygiene rules. At the same time, cinemas, theaters and concert halls will remain closed until January 6. Exit restrictions still exist between 8 pm and 6 am Therefore, Austria only allows its citizens very cautious measures.

Government leaders agreed that the number of infections was still too high. On Wednesday, there were 3,972 new infections in one day. In relation to the number of inhabitants, this value is several times higher than in Germany.

According to the interior minister of Vienna, Karl Nehammer, the travel restrictions are a consequence of the experiences of the summer. About 30 percent of all new corona infections were returned to the country by returnees on vacation. The concerned gaze is focused on the many people who come from the Balkans and want to spend their holidays there. In many countries in Southeast Europe and also in Turkey, the number of infections is particularly high.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn welcomed the Vienna steps. Everyone still had the February and March experience in their bones that the virus had been carried to almost every EU country, partly unnoticed by return traffic from ski holidays, Spahn said on Wednesday after a video conference with their EU counterparts.

There will be financial compensation for restaurants and hotels, Kurz said. “It is an extraordinary situation that demands a lot from everyone,” said Tourism Minister Elisabeth Köstinger. After all, the lifts in the ski areas can open from December 24 and can therefore be used mainly by locals. There will probably never be so much room on the slopes again. With the lift operation, the boom – and not harmless – ski touring must also be kept within limits.

Kurz asked citizens to participate in the upcoming mass tests. In Vienna, Tyrol and Vorarlberg, people can get tested from Friday. This is followed by other federal states. Experts hope that several million people will participate to break the chains of infection. And the chancellor kept the promise he made weeks ago: “We continue to deliver on our assessment that we can return to normal in the summer.” (aeg / sda / dpa)