To leave the region, travelers must now show a negative corona test, a measure widely respected since it came into force at midnight on Friday, according to Austrian police. The authorities have set up 44 checkpoints, located along roads, at airports and train stations. Some of them have been fitted out to allow travelers to be tested on site.

The mandatory negative test must not be older than 48 hours.

Introduced to prevent the spread of the South African variant, the measure will remain in effect for ten days. Children under the age of 10 and drivers of non-stop freight and transit traffic are exempt from the requirement to take a test.

At least 400 cases of South African variant infection have been recorded in Austrian Tyrol, making it the largest known source of contamination in Europe.

Other European countries have also expressed concern about the circulation of this more contagious variant of Covid-19, including Germany, which has already announced the closure of its border with Tyrol.