Austria clamps down on foreigners at ski resort

Austrian authorities launched a raid in a ski resort of St. Anton following reports of foreign tourists staying in the city illegally.

The officers "checked and indicted" nationals of the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Romania, Germany, Australia, Ireland, and Poland. The authorities found 96 infractions, including violations against the country's travel bans, registration laws, and emergency measures, the police said in a statement. They noted violators could face fines of up to €2,180 ($2,656).

While ski resort are technically still open amid the coronavirus lockdown, hotels are closed to tourists, restaurants are closed for indoor dining, and strict entry restrictions are in place in the central European country. In practice, only locals are able to take advantage of Austria's ski slopes.

Earlier this week, however, St. Anton Mayor Helmut Mall warned of foreign visitors trying to game the system. He said that some tourists registered ski resorts as their second address and were pretending to be looking for work.

"But there are no jobs to be found in tourism right now," he told the Kurier daily.

Talking to paper, Mall also noted there were "relatively many young people from Sweden, Denmark, and England" around in his town.

"I'm afraid that some of the people who are staying here should not be here," he said.

Most Europeans are wary of winter resorts after a massive coronavirus outbreak hit the Austrian town of Ischgl in March last year.

Commenting on the St. Anton raids, senior police officer Siegmund Geiger warned that exploiting loopholes "would not be tolerated."

"There are strict penalties connected to these kinds of violations," he said.