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 a spokesperson for ÖAMTC. Since then, there have been only minor or no waiting times. However, the start of the Easter holidays next weekend for those leaving Austria will likely be "interesting" at the border.

According to the police, the traffic jam during peak hours was shorter than feared. "From our perspective, there was no major issue," said police spokesperson Helmut Marban to APA. On Monday morning, the waiting time at the Hungarian-Austrian border crossings in Klingenbach (Eisenstadt-Umgebung district) and Rattersdorf (Oberpullendorf district) was just under an hour at its peak. 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 checks are being carried out at the open ones, and disinfection mats have been rolled out. There is a ban on the import of live cloven-hoofed animals and fresh meat products from Hungary and Slovakia. 40 soldiers from the Austrian Armed Forces are assisting at the border crossings in Nickelsdorf and Kittsee.

Delays are to be expected at the Lower Austrian border crossings with Slovakia, according to the state police directorate in St. Pölten. However, longer waiting times were not reported on Monday from either Berg (Bruck an der Leitha district) or Hohenau an der March (Gänserndorf district). In Berg, according to police spokesman Raimund Schwaigerlehner, three disinfection mats were laid out. Two are for vehicle traffic, and another on the bike and footpath. All tests for FMD in Lower Austria have so far been negative, as reported to the APA from the office of the responsible state councilor Susanne Rosenkranz (FPÖ).

Foot-and-Mouth Disease: Groundwater Not Endangered by Buried Cattle

Meanwhile, in Burgenland, images of dead cattle buried on Hungarian territory, a few kilometers from Nickelsdorf, continued to cause discussions. The state crisis team had already stated on Sunday that the drinking water on the Austrian side was not endangered. The groundwater flows in the area of Hegyeshálom run in a southeasterly direction, so any contamination would not affect the groundwater in Burgenland.

Both the Ministry of Health and the experts in the office of the Burgenland state government are in direct contact with the Hungarian authorities, it was emphasized. This week, the Austrian-Hungarian Water Commission is also to be involved with the topic. The ÖVP Burgenland announced a written inquiry on the matter and demanded "immediate measures" to protect the drinking water, "should there be even the slightest risk," said state parliament member Markus Ulram in a statement.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.