Austria Toughens Entry Requirements Over Virus

Austria is toughening entry requirements in an effort to prevent the spread of contagious coronavirus variants.

Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said Tuesday that the country will require weekly tests for cross-border commuters, who also will have to register under a “pre-travel clearance system,” the Austria Press Agency reported.

It also will scrap the possibility for new arrivals to cut their 10-day quarantine short by testing negative.

Nehammer also said that checks by police and health officials in Austrian ski resorts will be stepped up after authorities discovered visitors in illegally booked accommodation.

On Friday, police in St. Anton checked 44 properties and filed complaints against 96 people, among them Britons, Danes, Swedes, Romanians, Germans, Australians, Poles and Irish citizens. While ski slopes are open to locals in Austria, hotels are closed to tourists.

Austria plans to loosen some coronavirus restrictions next week, opening schools, museums, hairdressers and nonessential shops.