Omicron Has Led to Quasi-Ban on Entry of Britons, Norwegians, Danes and Dutch into Austria
Due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 throughout Austria, entry rules to Austria have been tightened. With Great Britain, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, four important countries of origin of tourists have been declared virus variant areas. Read about the restrictions.
Because the Omicron variant is rampant in Great Britain, concern is growing in the state of Salzburg about arrivals. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Pedro Aragão, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL
In the fight against the spread of the Omicron variant, entry rules to Austria have been tightened. With Great Britain, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, four important countries of origin of tourists have been declared virus variant areas.
In the case of entry from a virus variant area, the rules are even stricter than the usual rules as of December 25 at the instigation of the new all-state Covid Crisis Coordination (GECKO), because a quarantine of ten days is generally mandatory.
Only triple vaccinated persons with a valid PCR test are exempt from this.
In addition, throughout Austria, the closing time has been brought forward in the catering industry from Dec. 27 from the current 23:00 to 22:00.
This also applies on New Year's Eve for all tourism businesses as well as for cultural events and functions.
The pressure to increase restrictions on travelers from Great Britain has mainly come from the Austrian federal state of Salzburg.
According to the Salzburger Nachrichten, “Health Advisor and Provincial Governor Deputy Christian Stöckl was calling for a tightening of entry regulations not only for Great Britain but also for Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands.”
“The entry regulations need to be reconsidered very quickly. We now have to do everything we can to ensure that we do not run into a fifth wave through Omicron,” said Stöckl.
Salzburg is a popular destination among British tourists, especially this time of year when the ski season is in full swing.
According to the APA/ORF, “If such tightening of entry were to come about, around 15 percent of winter guests in Salzburg would be absent.”
Additionally, the ORF reported that Salzburg’s top tourism expert Leo Bauernberger is “still sticking to a winter season.” Bauernberger said, “We believe that we are well prepared and that the number of infections is currently manageable here. With the dynamics that take place around us, we are definitely, to a certain extent, passengers. You don't know what will really happen then.”
If these four countries are labeled as virus variant areas, then entry from them will be generally prohibited.
Austrian and EU citizens are still entitled to enter the country from virus variant areas, but they must adhere to a ten-day quarantine, show a PCR test upon arrival, and register.
The ORF reports that, according to insider info, the regulation will go into effect on December 24.