Starting tomorrow, the quarantine requirement will be dropped for many countries when entering Austria. It will be replaced by mandatory proof of vaccination, testing or recovery (3-G rule). For virus variants, there continue to be strict rules in the amended entry regulation that comes into force at midnight, the health ministry said yesterday.
“In many states, the infection figures are declining, so we can also implement facilitations for entry into Austria in parallel with the opening steps in the country,” Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens) said in a statement. All those vaccinations that have been approved by the EU Medicines Agency (EMA) or have successfully passed the corresponding process of the WHO would be recognized as proof of vaccination.
Thus, the Russian vaccine “Sputnik V” does not apply, but the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm, which received emergency approval from the WHO, does. “When entering the country from high-incidence areas, quarantine is also required, and even stricter rules apply to virus-variant countries,” Mückstein said.
No quarantine for many states
No quarantine is envisaged for states with a low incidence of infection, including Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Liechtenstein, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Vatican, Andorra and Australia.
From these countries, any type of entry – including for tourist purposes – is possible. A current 3-G proof is required. If this cannot be presented, a test must be made up within 24 hours.
For entry from high-risk and high-incidence countries, a 3-G certificate must also be presented. Vaccinated or recovered persons from these high-risk states do not have to enter quarantine, but those who have been tested do. The quarantine can be terminated from the fifth day after entry with a new negative test result. Travelers from Croatia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Cyprus currently fall into this category.
Entry from states with variants restricted
Entry from virus variant states – currently Brazil, India and South Africa – remains very restricted. The existing landing bans for aircraft from South Africa, Brazil and India have been extended up to and including June 6, according to the Ministry of Health.
Entry from other countries would be prohibited in principle and, as before, only possible in exceptional cases – such as for work or study purposes. Exemptions for commuters would remain unchanged and continue not to apply to entry from virus variant areas.
Online registration still necessary
Electronic registration will continue to be required prior to each entry, which will be offered on a portal provided by the Ministry of Health. Commuters must renew it every 28 days.
- source: orf.at/picture: pixabay.com
This post has already been read 980 times!