As of today, June 4th, Austria will reopen its borders to all neighboring countries – with the exception of Italy. Border and health checks against Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary would be stopped, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said at a press conference in Vienna.
The Border with Italy remain closed because of the corona infection situation there, it said. However, the minister announced a review for next week. The government is considering re-entering certain Italian regions with low infection rates.
German tourists in Austria do not expect any problems
For German citizens, this means that from Thursday there will be nothing legally preventing them from taking a vacation or a hiking trip in Austria, for example. The quarantine regulations in Austria are lifted, a negative corona test is not necessary, and citizens do not expect any problems when returning to Germany.
A lifting of the mouth-nose protection obligation in Austria “in many areas” is only planned from June 15, according to the homepage of the Austrian Ministry of Tourism. A safety distance of more than one meter also applies.
Italy had already opened its borders to tourists on Wednesday. Germans who wanted to go to Italy were allowed to travel through Austria, but not at rest stops or at petrol stations stop. According to information from the ARD studio in Vienna, this ban will be lifted as of today, at least on the way there. However, it should continue to apply for the return journey.
The Federal Foreign Office advises that insurance be consulted
For all of this, however, the travel warning from the Federal Foreign Office continues until June 14. It should be understood as an appeal to refrain from travel abroad, but not as a travel ban.
However, the existence of the travel warning could have further legal effects, for example for the validity of travel health insurance, a spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office told the BR. To do this, travelers should contact their insurance service provider.
If travelers abroad become infected with the corona virus, the authorities of the respective country would also decide on possible quarantine measures.
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