Austria has become the latest country to implement a UK-focused travel ban. Like neighboring Germany, the country will force all those traveling from the UK to quarantine for 10 days starting from December 25th. Limited exceptions to the rule apply, such as those who have received a booster vaccine and hold a negative COVID-19 test.

When the Omicron COVID-19 variant was discovered in South Africa, the UK was quick to red-list travel from the nation and its neighbors. It seems the country didn’t act fast enough. Omicron is now the dominant variant in the UK. This forced the UK to scrap the red list as quickly as it was reintroduced. It also meant that countries looking to delay the outbreak of Omicron implemented a swathe of new travel restrictions.

Austria’s new rules

Austria will bring in new rules for travelers from the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway. The rules, starting on Saturday, December 25th, will make travel much harder from these countries.

According to Austria.info, only a handful of travelers from these countries will now be able to avoid quarantine. This includes travelers who have received a booster vaccine and hold a negative PCR test taken within the last 48 hours.

Additionally, teenagers who fall under the “Holiday Ninja Pass” scheme and those under 12 can enter the country freely, again with a negative COVID-19 PCR test. All other travelers from these nations will have to quarantine for ten days on arrival. The rules stop short of those in place for travelers from southern Africa, where a landing ban for flights and an entry ban for passengers is in force.

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Austria has already implemented a 2G+ rule for business and tourist arrivals. This means that those without residence rights have to be vaccinated (Geimpft in German) or recovered (Genesen) from COVID-19, and have a negative test (the +).

According to aviation data experts Cirium, there are eight flights planned to operate from the United Kingdom to Austria on December 25th when the new rules come into effect, seven of which are due to be operated by British Airways. An eighth flight from London Heathrow to Vienna is planned by Austrian Airlines. As a result of the rule changes, British Airways appears to have trimmed its offering to the country.

Not the strictest rules

Austria appears to have stopped short of implementing the strictest rules possible for travelers from the United Kingdom. As mentioned earlier, other countries impacted by Omicron have total arrivals bans with exceptions only for citizens.

Neighbouring Germany has banned all non-essential travel from the United Kingdom, meaning only citizens and residents can enter, alongside a tight list of exceptions. On Saturday, the country was added to Germany’s Virus Variant Area list, making it the only country to achieve this feat three separate times.

While Austria allows travel for non-essential purposes and offers exceptions to quarantine restrictions for fully vaccinated (including boosters) travelers, Germany doesn’t. All travelers who have a recent travel history including the UK must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in the country regardless of status. France has also placed strict restrictions on travel from the UK.

What do you make of the latest restrictions on travel to Austria from the UK? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!