Slowdowns at Brenner, FERCAM carries out Covid tests independently

Since February 12th, the Austrian government imposed Covid swabs on drivers in transit, in an attempt to contain the spreading of virus variants. This caused significant slowdowns at the Brenner Pass on Monday 15th, up to the formation of a queue that exceeded 40km. Even at the Resia pass and at the San Candido pass, the request to present a negativity certificate no older than 48 hours has caused problems for road hauliers.

The inconvenience affected the timing of goods delivery, with widespread discontent on the part of companies operating in the sector as well as A22's executives, who commented that Austria's sudden initiative was "not very rational". Similar measures had already been adopted by Germany, equally concerned with limiting the possible spread of Coronavirus variants, and led Austria to act accordingly in a similar way.

The authorities of Trentino, South Tyrol and Veneto met yesterday afternoon to coordinate inspection activities already in the Verona area for vehicles heading north, so as to carry out a filter action and block drivers who do not have certification. In Vipiteno, testing points have been activated for the execution of rapid antigenic swabs, to support those who do not already have a certification available. Further test stations along the A22 are under construction.

Following the new regulatory obligation imposed by Austria for crossing the border, FERCAM has promptly organized and set up a station to independently carry out antigenic swabs for drivers headed for the Brenner pass, with export goods destined for northern Europe.

From the morning of Monday 15th, every day a team of dedicated professionals administers the rapid tests, promptly providing the certified documentation to be able to continue the journey without further interruptions.

Hannes Baumgartner comments: «we hope it's only a temporary measure, as this new legislation negatively affects costs and delivery times. Our priority is to continue to guarantee efficient transport flows, therefore we are also making use of intermodal connections as much as possible, which fortunately at the moment continue to operate smoothly and on time».