New Zealand is relaxing its entry restrictions.
Corona rules no longer apply in France today. The requirements are also no longer applicable for travelers to France. Proof of vaccination protection, a negative test or the status of recovery is no longer required. Only the possibility of mandatory corona tests at the national borders still remains.
Until now, travelers had to be either fully vaccinated or able to show a current negative corona test. For travelers from the EU and some other countries, proof of a recent infection was also accepted. If dangerous variants of the virus emerge, the government can still order travelers to present a test before boarding a plane to France.
No more quarantine in Austria
Austria is also relaxing its corona measures. As of today, the quarantine obligation is history – for the time being. Anyone who has tested positive for the corona virus but does not feel sick will be allowed to leave the house in the future. However, those who test positive must wear an FFP2 mask – unless they are outdoors and keep a distance of two meters from other people. It is therefore also possible to work with a positive test. However, only in professions in which a mask can be worn.
If the antigen or PCR test is positive, an FFP2 mask must be worn if the distance to other people is less than two meters or if you come together indoors. There are also bans on entering kindergartens, nursing homes and hospitals. However, employees are excluded from this.
“We are now making traffic restrictions instead of mandatory quarantine,” said Health Minister Johannes Rauch in Vienna last week. The decision was also made with a view to the psychological and social consequences of the Corona crisis, said Rauch. Anxiety and depression have increased worldwide. “We cannot test the pandemic away, vaccinate it away and isolate it away,” said Rauch. Furthermore, there is an obligation to report in order to keep an overview of the course of the disease.
New Zealand eases entry restrictions
New Zealand has also relaxed its corona rules. Citizens of all countries can now apply for visas and enter the country again without having to stay in quarantine hotels for two weeks, as was previously the case. However, they still have to be vaccinated against Corona and undergo two tests after their arrival. International students are also allowed to go to the universities on site, cruise ships and foreign sports boats can dock again.
The head of the New Zealand tourism authority, René de Monchy, expects that business will only slowly revive after the long break. Before the borders were closed due to Corona, tourism contributed around 5.5 percent to New Zealand’s gross domestic product.
The strict entry regulations imposed in March 2020 are considered one of the main reasons for New Zealand’s successful fight against the virus: since the beginning of the pandemic, the country, which is home to around five million people, has only recorded 855 deaths.
No quarantine for holidaymakers caught coronavirus in Greece
Austria abolishes compulsory corona vaccination
