Austria enforces travel ban on 32 countries

Date of original publication: July 29, 2020

Kemwel - For both travelers and car renters alike, summer 2020 will be a tricky time to visit Austria due to recent COVID-related measures meant to thwart entry from 32 "high-risk" countries. Although our car rental options in Vienna, Salzburg and Interlaken have been stable over the recent months, this central European country continues to grapple with containing the elusive coronavirus, especially after a recent outbreak in the resort town of St. Wolfgang with 62 new confirmed cases.

On one hand, some may be rejoicing that European Union (EU) countries are gradually loosening travel restrictions between lifting stay-at-home orders and opening up holiday resorts. Places like Portugal and Italy are even reportedly trying to allure travelers with discount airfare, hotels, not to mention car rentals. On the other, EU members like Austria have made it clear that it won't be open for full-blown international tourism any time soon.

As the final summer holiday month of August quickly approaches, on July 28 Austrian authorities imposed travel restrictions on the following countries, according to SchengenVisaInfo.com:

Of course, exceptions can be made for medical professionals, seasonal workers and diplomats as long as they take a PCR test.

Corona outbreak at St. Wolfgang Resort in Austria

According to reports, the recent surge of COVID infections in St. Wolfgang rose from 53 to 62 this past week with the bulk of transmissions taking place at hotels, bars, as well as one shop in the resort town. Sources also claim that infections were linked to tourist sites in the nearby area of Ried/St. Gilgen as well as a guesthouse in Stroble. Authorities promptly tested over 1,100 people among hotel guests, staff and local residents in these areas.

Which European countries can visit Austria?

While travel restrictions are in place for some nations, the 30 countries from the EU and/or Schengen Zone shown below can currently travel freely to Austria, according to the Austrian Ministry of the Interior. As of July 2, residents from these nations won't need to prevent proof of negative COVID test results or go through a two-week quarantine.