Amid rising case numbers, Austria is closing its 42 border crossings with the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Smaller border crossings will be closed completely from Thursday, January 14, while fixed controls will be put in place at larger border crossings.

Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) described the situation in Slovakia and the Czech Republic as “extremely tense”.

The country is concerned about the situation in both countries, which are currently one of the most affected by coronavirus infection. Ongoing checks took place at the Austrian border before the Christmas holidays.

Austria has carried out more than 770,000 checks since the mandatory quarantine regulation came into effect on December 19th.

The conditions for a trip to Austria do not change. Upon arrival, a ten-day quarantine is required. After five days, it is possible to undergo a test and in case of a negative result, terminate the isolation.

In addition, at the border, passengers must fill in a form and specify the reason why they are coming to Austria.

Cross-border commuters will be allowed to enter and to avoid the quarantine requirement, however all cross-border workers will need to show evidence that they have an employer in Austria.

❗️9. ledna obnovilo #Rakousko kontroly na hraničních přechodech s ČR. 14. ledna bude 42 menších přechodů uzavřeno; ostatní zůstanou otevřené. Seznam uzavíraných přechodů na 2. str. rak. úředního věstníku➡️https://t.co/yupqjgtgHD a v příloze. @mzvcr @vnitro @strakovka @min_dopravy pic.twitter.com/dx8duO7lvs

— Czech Embassy Vienna (@czechmfa_AT) January 13, 2021

Latest statistics

The number of deaths related to COVID-19 rose by 171 on Tuesday, including 79 reported on that day and revisions to previous days.

The death toll since the pandemic started stands at 13,656. The country has had one of the highest per-capita death rates in Europe in the past two weeks.

The number of infections rose by 10,725 on Tuesday, down from over 17,000 a week earlier, to bring the total tally to 855,600.

There are 149,397 active cases, according to the health ministry’s data. Hospitalizations stand at 7,267.