New Austrian coronavirus measures snarls traffic at border

BERLIN – Traffic was backed up for as much as 12 hours on Austria’s southern border after new coronavirus safety measures were imposed on all travellers entering the country, authorities said Sunday.

Police told the Austria Press Agency that cars were backed up for up to 12 hours at the Karawanks Tunnel and seven hours at the Loibl Pass into Austria as vacationers returning from Croatia and Slovenia tried to enter the country.

Amid a rise in coronavirus cases attributed in a large part to returning tourists, Austria imposed new rules this weekend requiring that the personal details of all travellers be recorded at the border, even if just passing through Austria.

The border traffic jams consisted primarily of German and Dutch tourists on their way home, APA reported.

By Sunday morning, Austrian officials were forced to relax the new restrictions to get the traffic moving again, performing only spot checks of random vehicles, Austria’s ORF broadcaster reported. Waiting times at the border were still several hours, however.