From Saturday, travelers from Austria have to go into self-isolation – in Great Britain for 14 days, in Norway for ten.
Travelers coming from Austria and Croatia have to go into quarantine for two weeks in Great Britain due to rising corona numbers in these countries. Transport Minister Grant Shapps announced on Thursday on Twitter. “If you arrive from these destinations in the UK after 4:00 am on Saturday, you will need to isolate yourself for 14 days.”
Data shows we need to remove Croatia, Austria and Trinidad & Tobago from our list of #coronavirus Travel Corridors to keep infection rates DOWN. If you arrive in the UK after 0400 Saturday from these destinations, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) August 20, 2020
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The new measure also applies to people who came from the Caribbean state of Trinidad and Tobago. On the other hand, Portugal will be added back to the countries from which quarantine-free entry is possible, said Shapps.
“Be aware that, as with all airlift countries, things can change quickly,” emphasized the minister. “Only travel if you – if necessary – agree to an unexpected 14-day quarantine (I speak from experience!)”. The government had imposed a 14-day self-isolation for travelers to Spain while Shapps was vacationing in the country with his family.
Croatia had recently registered a steep increase in corona cases. On Thursday, authorities reported a record 255 cases in the past 24 hours. In Austria, too, the number of new infections has recently increased significantly.
Great Britain hit hard
Britain had previously set up so-called airlifts with dozens of countries and overseas territories that the London government believes have the pandemic under control. Anyone entering from these states does not have to be in quarantine. The lists are updated regularly. Since each part of the country in Great Britain determines its own pandemic measures, the lists can also differ slightly in some cases.
The UK is the most affected country in Europe by the pandemic. The government is accused of being too late to react. For the airlines, which are badly suffering from the Corona crisis, the obligation to self-isolate is a heavy blow. They now fear new slumps in passenger numbers and thus even more losses.
Quarantine for Austrians also in Norway
Also from Saturday on, a mandatory ten-day quarantine will apply for people entering Norway from Austria. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday evening.
In addition to those arriving from Austria, those from Great Britain, Ireland and Greece are also newly affected by the ten-day quarantine. The reason is rising corona numbers in these countries. People who come from the Danish capital Copenhagen also have to be in quarantine.
This is intended to prevent the corona virus from spreading again in Norway. In Norway, travelers must be quarantined if they come from countries with more than 20 confirmed new Covid-19 infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the past two weeks.
Before that, in August, Norway had refrained from easing or lifting further corona restrictions in the country itself. The Norwegians were advised not to travel abroad. From Saturday, a total of two dozen European countries will be affected by the adapted quarantine regulation, including France, Spain, Poland and Switzerland.
Restrictive regulations in Norway
Last week, Norway recorded 366 new infections, the highest number in seven days since April. The peak was 1,733 new cases in one week, according to the Norwegian Public Health Institute. That was at the end of March.
Norway does not belong to the EU, but to the Schengen area, which is basically free of border controls. The government in Oslo imposed very restrictive entry requirements at an early stage. Norway was one of the countries in Europe with the strictest regulations when crossing borders. From June on, however, there were gradual easing, so that Austrians could temporarily enter Norway without restrictions.
(WHAT / dpa)
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