Vienna Airport, starting today (May 4), is making a smart move to help people coming in country and those that want to assure countries they are visiting that they are virus-free. This is in the form of on-site coronavirus testing for all those willing to pay €190. That could be a small price to pay to avoid a 14 day quarantine!
Pay for Test or Face Quarantine
Austria currently has tight entry rules in place due to the coronavirus, similar to all of the Schengen countries until at least May 15. But, if you are in the EU/Schengen zone and want to travel to Austria (or you are eligible to travel to Austria from outside the Schengen area), you will have to prove upon entry that you have tested negative for COVID-19 with a test that was issued within the previous 4 days.
If you do not have that, you can be refused entry or face a mandatory 14 day quarantine. To offer a new alternative, as of May 4, you can pay for a COVID-19 test on the spot at Vienna Airport. It costs €190 and will take 2-3 hours to get a result. If you are clear of the virus, you will not have to face that 14 day mandatory quarantine. So, for 3 hours and €190, you could skip 14 days of lockdown!
Works for Departures as Proof of Virus-Free Status
This could also be very useful if you are transiting/leaving Austria for another country. You can also pay the same fee and get tested to show the country you are visiting that you are virus-free. If you go this route, remember the waiting time so leave enough time for the test when you leave for the airport.
Here is what the airport says about this test:
In cooperation with the company Confidence DNA Analysen GmbH, Vienna Airport now offers passengers the possibility to undergo molecular-biological COVID-19 testing (PCR test) directly on site at the airport starting on Monday 4 May 2020. The test findings will be available within about three hours. If the test turns out to be negative, the passenger does not have to stay in self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving in Austria. In this way, quarantine periods which have already been commenced can also be prematurely terminated.
The PCR test is implemented quickly and easily. Customers arrange for an appointment directly with Confidence DNA Analysen GmbH by calling the telephone number (+43) 1 368 45 54 (German and English) or via email at office@confidence.at. The laboratory is located in Office Park 3 (ground floor)at Vienna Airport and is accessible via a roadside entrance. A quarantine is not necessary in the case of negative COVID-19 findings. In this case customers will be given a so-called “Gesundheitszeugnisses” (medical certificate).
At present, Austrian Airlines is not flying at all until June but there are other airlines that are flying out of Vienna to a handful of countries. If this test becomes popular and successful, expect other European countries to offer similar testing. Yes, it does cost but the upside is that you should not be subject to a quarantine.
Source: Reuters
