Austria imposes PCR testing for Cyprus arrivals

Travellers returning from Cyprus will have to get COVID tested to enter Austria, the Austrian Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein announced.

However, the minister didn’t provide any date for when the law enters into force.

Cyprus has seen a surge in coronavirus infections, with daily cases peaking in four digits.

Currently, fully vaccinated and recovered people from Coronavirus are permitted to enter the country, but the government is concerned about the infection rates that have surged due to travelling, SchengenVisainfo.com reports.

“Around a third of new infections can be traced back to travel, and numerous infections are spread by people who return to travel.

“The federal government is therefore turning the screws a little tighter in this area,” Mückstein said.

He said the government is trying to contain the rapid spread of the virus and protect citizens who are currently unable to get vaccinated.

Arrivals from Spain, the Netherlands and Cyprus, whether they are Austrian nationals or not, must present a negative PCR test when entering the country.

If the travellers cannot provide such evidence, they can get tested free of charge at the airport.

No quarantine time is required in the meantime unless the test taken at the airport is positive.

But anyone refusing to get tested will risk a fine of up to €1,450.

Since January 2020, Austria has experienced 10,524 deaths caused by COVID-19 and 651,873 people tested positive for the virus.

Our World in Data reported that 3.72 million Austrian nationals had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, accounting for 42.1% of the population.

About 56.8% of the population has received a vaccine shot.

Cyprus has vaccinated 72.2% with a jab, while 63.5% are fully jabbed.

Over the past 16 months, Cyprus has confirmed 99,360 infections and 410 deaths.