Coronavirus – Kogler rejects relaxation in ski areas



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When asked if, given the images of dense queues, it was a mistake to open the ski resorts during closure, Kogler said it was an “offer” to exercise outdoors. Detailed specifications are a matter for the federal states. “When it comes to the mask requirement, the federal government has put out the strictest card with the FFP2 mask,” Kogler emphasized, “and now I think we have to see how the federal states get this under control.”

The head of the cable car, Franz Hörl, called for an end to the restrictions on people in the gondolas at 50 percent on Tuesday morning, but Kogler rejected it. Rather, it will be a matter of all elevator operators complying with the requirements, otherwise, as Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) sees it, “action must be taken”. Regional authorities must control and “if necessary, you have to act where it doesn’t work, it works for the majority.” This could also mean that individual ski areas will have to be closed again “if it doesn’t work at all,” as Kogler said when asked.

Hörl had argued that it is precisely the restrictions on people in the gondolas that cause queues at boarding points that should be avoided. He referred to the example of Hinterstoder (Upper Austria), where images of people gathered at the valley station circulated on the Internet. The elevator operators wanted to avoid this rush by opening earlier, so the guests arrived earlier.

In Tuesday’s “morning newspaper Ö1”, Hörl was surprised at how well skiers accepted the FFP2 mask. Where there is still something to improve, more values ​​are being worked on.

The relocation of a webcam to Marendalm in the Hochzillertal ski resort in Tyrol caused a stir. On Sunday, former ski racer Nicola Werdenigg tweeted a photo from the ski area with the comment: “Mountain train operators are already reacting to the large number of people. They have changed the position of the webcams as an immediate measure. “.

At the request of “Standard”, COO Christian Knapp confirmed that the webcam had been changed, around the same time that the Sonnenjet six-person chairlift had been turned off by default for half an hour in the morning due to a defect. Because the elevator was out of order, there were longer wait times when boarding. Ski guests were advised to adhere to legal regulations.

Miranda Suchomel, assistant professor at Med-Uni Vienna’s Institute of Applied Hygiene and Immunology, criticized the FFP2 mask requirement for ski lifts in “Standard.” “Compared to other risk situations, this is incomprehensible. From a technical point of view, it doesn’t make sense why FFP2 masks have to be used here, but not on buses, trams and subways, for example,” he said. Enforcing an FFP2 mask requirement on public transportation is likely to be difficult.

When skiing, the FFP2 masks would only be of limited use. When exercising, the masks would quickly soak up and then no longer provide any protection. In addition, helmets are also often used in gondolas and cabins, so people have to speak louder: “This increases the risk of infection even more.”



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