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| - Austria imposed border controls on neighbouring Italy Wednesday, while remaining trains and more flight services were suspended to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. Guards at mobile check-points set up at major border crossings started health checks and questioning travellers seeking to enter Austria from Italy, authorities said. Several smaller border crossings between the two neighbours will be closed. Only cargo traffic, as well as those with a doctor's certificate and those who work or live in Austria are allowed to enter. Residents returning from Italy must home quarantine themselves for two weeks. Austria and Slovenia, and also neighbouring Italy, announced Tuesday strict travel restrictions after Rome issued a decree sealing off the entire country due to the virus. Rainer Dionisio, a police spokesman in Austria's Carinthia state bordering Italy, told AFP that traffic across the border had plunged. "There is mainly just cargo transport," he said. Alessio Pappalardo, the manager of a highway restaurant at the Brenner pass between Austria and Italy, said he himself underwent a temperature check and was questioned by border personnel when he arrived for work. "We have too few customers now," said the Italian who lives in Austria. Tuesday's decision also affects rail links from regions in western and southern Austria which border Italy. All long-distance routes -- notably overnight trains to Rome, Milan and Venice -- had already been cancelled. Austrian Airlines said Wednesday it was cancelling up to 50 percent of March and April flights, including all Italy flights. In Slovenia, border controls, including temperature checks for those still allowed to commute, are to be implemented within days. Austria also imposed other strict measures, such as limiting indoor gatherings to 100 people and outdoor events to 500 people. As a consequence, national museum directors said their doors will be closed until March 31. The state opera and Musikverein, home to Vienna's philharmonic orchestra, said on Tuesday they would cancel concerts until the end of March. The Austrian National Library has also closed, while the Vienna marathon scheduled for April 19 will also be cancelled. Meanwhile, Vienna International Airport on Wednesday reported a 30 percent decline in passenger traffic so far in March compared with a year ago. The country of more than eight million people has reported 206 confirmed cases of COVID-19 but no deaths. Neighbouring Slovenia with two million people has reported 57 cases. bur-jza/cdw
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