Health measures against the coronavirus have been stepped up in Austria. Since Saturday, all cars entering its territory from Slovenia have been stopped to be checked.
The vehicles had been stretching across the border between Austria and Slovenia since Saturday.
AFP
The establishment by Vienna of strict health controls at the Slovenian border on Saturday due to the coronavirus caused immense traffic jams still underway on Sunday, with holidaymakers waiting in some places until ten a.m. last night, according to police.
Important connection nodes in Europe on the south-north axis, the Karawanken tunnel and the Loibl tunnel, on the border between Slovenia and Austria, have seen columns of cars forming over several kilometers for the return of holidays , notably Germans and Dutch.
Sunday morning, there were still 7 kilometers of traffic jams and three hours of waiting at the entrance of the Karawanken. At Loibl, you still have to wait five hours.
Even in transit
Since Saturday, Austria has stopped each car entering its territory from Slovenia to record the personal data of each passenger, even in transit, in order to be able to trace contamination with the new coronavirus.
Vienna cites a constant rise in infections on its territory, with a third of holidaymakers having tested positive for a month on their return from Croatia, a destination in southern Slovenia.
Local authorities in the Carinthian border region want to negotiate with the Austrian government for easier checks on Sunday and are already letting some cars pass faster. They cite the public health risks incurred, as travelers are often taken aback by the new regulations, without water or sufficient provisions.
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