Now the travel rules are tightened in Austria

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Commuters must now also present mandatory tests upon entry. Otherwise, they face a ten-day quarantine.

Due to the spread of various mutants of the coronavirus, there will now also be a tightening of entry regulations in Austria next week. On Thursday, the draft of a new regulation had been submitted to countries and social partners for review, next week it is to be finalized, the APA learned from the Ministry of Health. The draft, which has been submitted to the agency, provides for mandatory tests upon entry – including for commuters.

Border commuters would also have to present a medical certificate or proof of testing no older than 72 hours upon entry – or, if they don’t have them, enter a 10-day quarantine. However, if the test is made up and the test result is negative, the quarantine is considered to have ended, the draft states. The Ministry of Health did not want to comment on this when asked by APA, as the draft is currently still being revised, said a spokeswoman.

Originally, the regulation should have come into force on Monday. Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček was happy about the postponement on Friday morning, saying via Twitter, ” Our negotiations on this issue can continue. The conditions from February 1 remain unchanged.”

For Czech border crossers heading to Germany, the mandatory presentation of a negative Corona test (not older than 48 hours) for each trip has been in effect since Sunday; only in Sachsen two tests per week are sufficient.

In Austria, all entrants must so far sign a self-commitment to quarantine, otherwise entry can be refused. Only after five days can the ten-day quarantine obligation be ended early with a negative Covid test. There are exceptions to entry for commuters and freight traffic. Commuters are not required to test and quarantine. However, they must provide credible evidence that they have an employer in Austria upon entry. In addition, there is an obligation to register online before entering Austria.