Some Austrian ski resorts are reopening to fully vaccinated visitors as the country ends the lockdown imposed on 22 November.
The step-by-step end to restrictions began on Sunday, 12 December, with Tirol, Vorarlberg and Burgenland reopening.
Friday, 17 December, will see Salzburg, Styria, Carinthia and Lower Austria reopen while the capital, Vienna will be reopen on 20 December.
The ski resort of Obergurgl reopened for the season on 12 December 12, announcing in a tweet: “Are you ready for skiing in Gurgl? We definitely are! All accommodations, restaurants, mountain inns and ski huts, the winter ski area, ski rentals, all shops and selling points are open for you again.”
The 2G rule
The lifting of lockdown will be followed by a strict adherence to the 2G rule, which requires proof of full vaccination or past infection.
FFP2 mask requirements will also be in place in many areas, as will the following rules, laid out in the official website of the Austrian Tourist Board:
- For hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, leisure centres, gyms, cultural institutions (cinemas, theatres etc.), Christmas markets, ski lifts/cable cars and body-related services (such as hairdressers) proof of full vaccination/recovery is mandatory (children under the age of 12 are exempt). Find more information here.
- COVID tests (both PCR and antigen) are not valid as “entry tests”.
- FFP2 masks are required in all public areas in enclosed spaces. In restaurants/cafés/inns, you have to wear an FFP2 mask when you are not seated at your table. In all types of accommodation, FFP2 masks are mandatory in public enclosed spaces.
- Restaurants/cafés/inns have to close at 11 pm. Bars and clubs remain closed for the time being. Après-ski is not possible.
- 2-dose-vaccinations are valid for 270 days after the second dose. After that a booster jab is required. Attention: The 1-dose vaccine by Johnson & Johnson is only valid until 3 January 2022, afterwards a booster jab is needed for proof of full vaccination.
- Children under 12 years are currently exempt from entry rules; for minors between 12 and 15 years, a solution is being worked on (Exemption: In Vienna, children from the age of 6 require an entry test).
