AUSTRIA announced today the ban of passenger flight operations from the majority of Balkan countries, as well as Moldova and Egypt, in order to minimize the risk of passengers infected with coronavirus entering the county.

This measure will be in force as of Thursday, announced the Austrian Ministry of Health.

This decision is the latest among many travel warnings that Austria issued for the Balkan region since the beginning of July.

The new ban refers to arrivals from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and Egypt.

Flight bans remain in force for Belarus, the UK, China, Iran, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, and Ukraine.

Austrian health authorities partially lay blame on the passengers who traveled to the Balkans for the latest increase of coronavirus cases in the country.

Austria has a large community of people with Balkan roots who spend their vacation in Croatia. More than 530,000 people in an Austrian province with 8.9 million residents have roots in the former Yugoslavia. Besides that, around 120,000 Romanians live in Austria.