Austria lifts travel restrictions for Italy from mid-June

Austria announced Wednesday it would reopen its border with Italy from June 16 and allow free travel from most other European nations from that date as the country eases coronavirus restrictions. Last week Austria had already relaxed restrictions for travel to some neighboring states but had excluded Italy, one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic in Europe. "Yes, we are opening the border. Yes, travelling to Italy, to Greece, to Croatia for example will be possible," Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told a press conference on Wednesday. From June 16, Austria will welcome travelers from 31 countries without restrictions, including most of Europe. Notable exceptions are Sweden, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom, Schallenberg said. Travelers from those countries will still have to show a negative coronavirus test or undergo a two-week home quarantine. Sweden is on the list due to steeply rising infection numbers in recent days, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober explained. "It's surprising and quite sad because I would have liked the congenial way (Sweden) has handled the crisis to have met with success, but sadly that's not the case," he said. Portugal had also recorded a clear uptick in recent new infections while the UK was the third worst European country in terms of new infections per capita, Anschober added.