As Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) announced at a press conference on Thursday, only a few virus variant areas such as Brazil, South Africa, India and Great Britain are now colored “red”. Entries from the EU and EFTA countries, Switzerland and the western Balkan states of Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania are completely liberalized (“green”).
Most of the non-European countries will be switched from “red” to “orange”, Schallenberg continued. Entry from orange countries is only possible if you are fully immunized (14 days after the second vaccination dose) or if you have received a vaccine dose as a convalescent and 14 days have passed afterwards.
A 3-G certificate is sufficient for entry from the green countries. The green list also includes some non-European countries such as the USA, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam. Schallenberg also expressed confidence that the three other Western Balkan states Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro will also be added to the green list in July.
“We all deserved this summer break,” said Schallenberg. But he also pointed out that “the virus has not disappeared. We only know how to protect ourselves better.” Therefore, it is a “summer with an increased protection factor and a residual risk,” said the Foreign Minister, who did not rule out a possible renewed tightening of travel advice. When asked, he specifically named Russia, which is currently orange. There are “question marks” here, he said when asked about the sharp increase in the number of infections in the country.
“I cannot rule out the possibility that a cloud will appear and the weather will suddenly turn cloudy,” said Schallenberg when asked about the travel warning recently issued to Portugal by Germany. He pointed out that the tour operators grant a right of withdrawal in such cases. At the same time, the minister recommended that travelers take out cancellation insurance. He will do this himself “to be on the safe side”.
Transport State Secretary Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) said at the joint press conference with Schallenberg that there are already more international flights from Vienna. “We’re feeling the upswing,” said Brunner. He reported that, in the course of the relaxation, the requirement to fill out forms (“pre-travel clearance”) when entering Austria is no longer necessary. In response to an APA request, Schallenberg confirmed that the EU partners also do the same with their entry forms.
Outside of Europe, however, there is not yet reciprocity everywhere. For example, the USA, which Austria has also set to “green”, continues to refuse to allow tourists to enter the country, as Schallenberg confirmed. However, this topic is being addressed in the USA, the Foreign Minister expressed the hope that fully immunized people will be able to enter the USA “very soon”.
Schallenberg and Brunner also complained to journalists that many people are still waiting for compensation for trips that were canceled in the previous year. The foreign minister criticized the tour operators “should have regulated this long ago”. Brunner said that the passenger rights regulation was “very clear” on this point and that the republic had been urging, for example, during the AUA rescue, that the Lufthansa subsidiary should meet its obligations towards travelers. Brunner reported at the same time that an amendment to the aviation law is currently being discussed in the National Council, with which the rights of the passenger and passenger agency will be strengthened in order to “safeguard the interests of the passengers against the airlines”.
