- Title: 437 AT FM Travel warning Croatia
- Date: 13th August 2020
- Description:U Austria issues a travel warning on Croatia following increase in COVID-19 cases The Austrian government has issued a travel warning about Croatia as a holiday destination. Due to the increasing number of infections among travelers returning from Croatia and an increase in the country itself, Austria is again warning against traveling to Croatia. The travel warning comes into force on the night from Sunday to Monday. It will then apply from midnight, as the Foreign Ministry announced on Friday. Holidaymakers who are currently in Croatia are urged to return home. Further details are currently being coordinated with the Ministry of Health, according to the Foreign Office. Croatia reported a record number of new infections with the coronavirus yesterday, Thursday. 180 people became infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus within 24 hours. In Carinthia, 16 of the total of 22 people who tested positive for on Thursday were directly related to Croatia. In the past few days, at least 20 positive coronavirus tests have also been recorded in Tyrol, which are directly or indirectly related to a stay in Croatia, as the country announced. Shotlist - TILT DOWN Austrian Foreign Ministy building exteriors - PAN LEFT Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg exiting building -SOUNDBITE (German) Alexander Schallenberg, Austrian Foreign minister: "Due to the rapidly increasing numbers in Croatia but also due to the returnees who have brought the virus back to Austria, we are unfortunately forced to place Croatia as a nation under the highest travel warning level. This means that from Monday 00.00 [Sunday 22:00 GMT] when you come back from Croatia, you either have to present a negative COVID test or do it within 48 hours. And we urgently advise all Austrians who have planned a trip to Croatia not to do it. [Reporter: "Why so quickly, why so suddenly?”] We said from the start: be careful when traveling abroad. We have never ruled out that we will have to issue further travel warnings. Bulgaria and Romania were the last. And now we are discovering what we have already found in the Western Balkans, namely that those returning from these countries bring the disease back to us. And we have to prevent that. We have to make sure that what we laboriously worked out in March and April is not negligently endangered at the end of the summer season.” [Reporter: “This is very short-term for people who have planned vacations. Today is Friday, on Monday it is already valid.”] I know it's always short term. The last travel warnings were unfortunately also at short notice. But if we say two weeks from now, that doesn't make any sense. It's always a relatively abrupt situation and decision. I am very aware that it is of course uncomfortable for travelers and brings disadvantages. But I ask people to take note. We are still in the middle of this crisis. The pandemic is not over, the coronavirus is not on vacation.”
- Collection: ORF
- Genre:News
- Producer:ORF
- Transmission Date:14/08/2020
- Decade: 2020s