Austria introduces border checks with Switzerland, flight bans for France, Spain

Austria will introduce border checks with Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and will ban flight connections with France, Spain and Switzerland from Monday, the government said on Friday.

The Alpine country on Wednesday shut its border to people coming from Italy, except for goods vehicles and some other categories such as people transiting Austria without stopping. Austria reported its first death from Covid-19 on Thursday and has 432 cases so far, Reuters said.

“We are now increasingly beginning to control the borders to Switzerland and Liechtenstein in the same way as we do with Italy,” Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said. “From Monday there will be flight bans for France, Spain and Switzerland.” Austria has flight bans in place for Italy, China, Iran and South Korea. No restrictions have been imposed along Austria’s northern border with Germany.

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called on people not to panic. “All that a state needs to remain functional is of course maintained,” he said.