Extremely tightened entry requirements
Winter holidays in Austria: These corona rules now apply to ski vacationers and those returning to travel
Austria continues to be classified as a high-risk area and has tightened entry requirements for vaccinated people since December 20th.
© Gian Ehrenzeller / KEYSTONE / dpa
Anyone who cannot show a negative test certificate when entering Austria must be in quarantine. Because the 2G-plus rule has been in effect for holidaymakers since Monday: Even people who have been vaccinated twice need a PCR test when they go on a skiing holiday. But there are exceptions.
Many who have planned a skiing holiday in the neighboring country for the Christmas holidays are confronted with stricter entry requirements in Austria. The 2G-plus rule has been in force since December 20th: Without further ado, only those who have been vaccinated three times are allowed into the country – i.e. those who have already received the booster or booster vaccination.
Anyone who has been fully vaccinated and recovered, but has not yet been boosted, must also be able to prove a PCR test, which must not be older than 72 hours. Anyone who has neither a PCR test nor a booster proof must do so before crossing the border Entry form fill out the form and go into quarantine for ten days immediately after entering the country.
The quarantine may only be ended as soon as a negative PCR test is available. For those who have not been vaccinated, the regulations are even more restrictive: Without 2G proof, travelers can only test themselves free after five days at the earliest.
What skiers need to know now
With these measures, Austria would like to protect itself against the rapid spread of the Omikron variant of the coronavirus. Before that, all Austrians were in a three-week lockdown, which now only applies to the unvaccinated. In Vienna, too, the restaurants and hotels will be the last federal state to open again this week.
In principle, hotels, guesthouses and other accommodations are only allowed to accept vaccinated and recovered guests. For ski vacationers, the 2G rule and an FFP2 mask requirement still apply in the cable cars and on the ski slopes. Night gastronomy, which also includes après-ski, is currently generally prohibited.
Travel warning for Austria
The restrictive restrictions in recent weeks have significantly reduced the high rate of new infections in the country. The incidence is now the national average at 231 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days. In the federal states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg, which are popular for winter holidays, the incidence is still 314 and 440 respectively (as of December 19).
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Based on the current figures, the Federal Foreign Office and the Robert Koch Institute continue to classify the Alpine republic as a high-risk area. On the pages with the travel and safety information it says: “Before unnecessary, tourist trips to Austria, with the exception of the communities Mittelberg and Jungholz and the Riss valley in the municipality of Vomp and Eben am Achensee,currentlywarned. “
The exceptions for travelers to Austria
Pregnant women and people who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons are excluded from the new regulations. The reason for the exception must be proven by a medical certificate.
The usual 3G rule remains for commuters. Transit traffic is not affected by the regulations. There are also special rules for children under the age of twelve; they do not need proof. However, school-age children aged twelve and over require a PCR test.
Please note on the return journey
Because Austria, like the neighboring countries Denmark, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands is listed as a high-risk area, all returnees to Germany – vaccinated or unvaccinated – have to go digital Entry registration make. The only exceptions are visitors to the communities of Mittelberg / Kleinwalsertal and Jungholz as well as the Riss valley in the district of Vomp and Eben am Achensee.
Unvaccinated people must immediately go to quarantine in Germany. They have the option of shortening self-isolation with a negative test after five days.
More information at:
www.austria.info, www.ris.bka.gv.at, www.auswaertiges-amt.de