Skiers go to Austria Since it is announced that all tourists, including those from the UK, must show proof of Covid booster dosage, this season will face more restrictions.
The government held a meeting on Wednesday morning to discuss what measures need to be taken to deal with the surge in Omicron variant infections when the ski season peaked in January. The variant has arrived in Austria, but there are fewer than 1,000 confirmed cases.
The country is open to those who have been fully vaccinated or have a certificate of Covid recovery, but this additional restriction—requiring travellers to show a proof of booster vaccine—is effective immediately. Anyone who has received the booster vaccine will also need to provide proof of complete vaccination status and a negative PCR test within 72 hours of arrival.
A statement on Austria’s official tourism website stated: “Austria is responding to the expansion of Omicron variants with new entry regulations… This new regulation applies to entry to all countries (including day trips), but does not include Virus variants field. Entry without vaccination or rehabilitation is practically impossible for vacation purposes. “
In response to this announcement, Crystal Ski Holidays said: “We know that the Austrian government has announced that now anyone 12 years of age and older must take a PCR test within 72 hours of their flight’s arrival time (and indicate) that they’I have A booster jab. We will contact customers directly to discuss their options.”
Elsewhere, Malaysia and Singapore have become the latest Asian countries to tighten travel restrictions. Singapore temporarily stopped selling tickets for its quarantine-free “travel channel” system, which allows vaccinated people from 24 countries to enter, while Malaysia has frozen buses and air tickets to Singapore-its only travel channel.
On Monday, Indonesia added people from the United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark to its list. Prohibited entry, Thailand announced on Tuesday that it will resume the mandatory Covid quarantine for foreign tourists and cancel the quarantine exemption. The Thai government stated that it is taking action due to concerns about the spread of Omicron variants.
However, Switzerland went the other way and relaxed some restrictions: fully vaccinated entrants are now allowed to enter the country using cheaper lateral flow tests instead of PCR tests.
Tourists can now enter Switzerland if they are fully vaccinated and have a negative PCR test (not more than 72 hours) or lateral flow test (not more than 24 hours) at the time of boarding.
