Burgenland: Long Wait Times at Border Due to Controls Against Foot-and-Mouth Disease
Commuters waited up to an hour to enter from Hungary. The longest waiting time due to the border controls because of foot-and-mouth disease was in Kittsee in the Neusiedl am See district at the border with Slovakia. According to ÖAMTC, commuters were stuck in traffic for about 75 minutes on the Nordostautobahn (A6), as reported to APA.
Foot-and-Mouth Disease: Increased Controls at Border and Import Bans
So far, all tests in Burgenland have been negative, according to the state crisis team in response to an APA inquiry. Although there were initial traffic jams, commuters mostly reacted with understanding. The early morning traffic was mainly affected, but from 9:30 AM onwards, the delays quickly decreased, said an ÖAMTC spokesperson. Since then, there have been only minor or no waiting times. However, the start of the Easter holidays at the border this coming weekend for those leaving Austria is expected to be "interesting".
At the Hungarian-Austrian border crossings in Klingenbach (Eisenstadt-Umgebung district) and Rattersdorf (Oberpullendorf district), the waiting time was just under an hour. In Nickelsdorf (Neusiedl am See district), the wait on the Ostautobahn (A4) was about 45 minutes to enter.
Delays Expected at Lower Austrian Border
Since Saturday, 24 smaller border crossings in Burgenland and Lower Austria have been closed due to foot-and-mouth disease. Increased controls are in place at the open ones, and disinfection mats have been rolled out. There is an import ban on live cloven-hoofed animals and fresh meat products from Hungary and Slovakia. 40 soldiers from the Austrian Armed Forces are assisting at the Nickelsdorf and Kittsee border crossings.
Delays are expected at the Lower Austrian border crossings with Slovakia, according to the state police directorate in St. Pölten. However, on Monday, longer waiting times were not reported from either Berg (Bruck an der Leitha district) or Hohenau an der March (Gänserndorf district). In Berg, according to police spokesperson Raimund Schwaigerlehner, three disinfection mats were laid out. Two are for vehicle traffic, and another on the bike and pedestrian path.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.