Austria: No more Border Controls with Neighbouring Countries except Italy
Restrictions on freedom of travel due to the Corona pandemic will be discontinued. The only country for which restrictions remain in place for the time being is Italy. A further evaluation is planned next week.
Alexander Schallenberg: "Border and health controls to Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia will be discontinued." / Picture: © BMEIA Bundesministerium für Europa, Integration und Äußeres / Eugénie Berger / Flickr Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
After several months of corona virus restrictions, Austria will re-establish complete freedom of travel to its neighbouring countries with the exception of Italy as of 4 June.
"As of 4 June, border and health controls towards Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia will be discontinued", Foreign Minister Schallenberg announced according to the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF.
"For these countries the rules will apply as before the pandemic, there will be no quarantine or testing requirements on entry into Austria."
Restrictions remain in place for Italy. However, the aim is to allow an opening as soon as possible.
"One can see that the situation in Italy has also improved significantly and that individual regions already have good Covid-19 numbers", Schallenberg said. "The proposal from South Tyrol, according to which opening could be allowed towards Italian regions, was therefore to be taken very seriously".
Yesterday, according to a report by the Italian news agency ANSA, it became known that the opening of the border towards Italy in mid-June was "promised" if it was allowed by the development of the coronavirus pandemic in the neighbouring country.
Schallenberg also appeals to the much-cited "personal responsibility" of each individual. Anyone who wants to travel abroad must be prepared and take appropriate precautions, he said.