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Austrian police have fined 96 foreigners at the ski resort of St Anton am Arlberg for breaching public health rules on entering the country and the national lockdown.

The mayor of St Anton, which is one of Austria’s most popular resorts, said dozens of young tourists from across Europe had recently come to his town despite the lockdown restrictions in place. Ski lifts are open, but hotels in the area are closed to tourists.

Fifteen police officers were involved in the operation, and those caught in violation of the rules face fines of €2,180 (around £1,920).

Police said that “Britons, Danes, Swedes, Romanians, Germans, Australians, Irish people and Poles were checked and fined.”

General aerial view taken on April 23, 2020 shows the village and ski resort of St Anton am Arlberg in Tyrol, Austria.

General aerial view taken on 23 April 2020 shows the village and ski resort of St Anton am Arlberg in Tyrol, Austria. Photograph: Johann Groder/EXPA/AFP via Getty Images

Austria, which has a population of just under 9 million people, has recorded 413,208 cases and 7,703 deaths from coronavirus.

The country has been in its third national lockdown since Boxing Day, with non-essential shops closed. However, there have been some controversial loopholes in the restrictions. Regular skiers cannot stay overnight at a resort, but despite this, ski teacher training courses were allowed to be held for European visitors, and saw a number of coronavirus clusters emerged at the courses.

In St Antons, some travellers appear to have got round restrictions by fraudulently claiming to be looking for work. Tourist accommodation is only available to business travellers, and St Anton’s mayor Helmut Mall has said new arrivals there have registered a local address saying they are looking for work even though there are no jobs available.



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