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How did the Ischgl ski resort become a Corona hotspot in Europe in March? Experts have closely examined crisis management. In their report they complain that the quarantine was hastily imposed in the area.
Seven months after the Corona outbreak at the Ischgl Tyrolean ski resort, a commission of experts identified serious errors in crisis management. The operation of ski buses and cable cars was stopped a day later than necessary, said commission chairman Ronald Rohrer in Innsbruck.
According to experts, the announcement of the quarantine on the Paznaun Valley by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on March 13 should have been better prepared. There were panic reactions from the many foreign guests who tried to leave the region at lightning speed. There was no immediate information to tourists that they should leave for the weekend “staggered and controlled.” Also, there was no evacuation plan, Rohrer criticized.
Praise for action at the beginning
There is no indication of an often rumored influence of tourism and the cable car industry on the decisions of the authorities. The commission called the authorities’ initial reaction after the first Ischgl-related cases became known in early March as positive and appropriate. A waiter had tested positive for Corona. As the guests were also infected, authorities closed the bar on March 9. The next day they decreed the end of the ski season. All the restaurants had to close.
For the report, the commission interviewed a total of 53 people, including those affected, representatives of the cable car and tourism industry, as well as officials at the district, state and federal levels. The city of 1,600 inhabitants in Tyrol is one of the hotspots for the spread of the coronavirus in some parts of Europe, especially because of the après-ski celebrations there. Many German guests were also infected here.
Investigations against four suspects
Meanwhile, more than 6,000 Tyrol tourists from 45 countries have registered with a consumer protection association that wants to represent the interests of the injured party. Thousands of corona infections in Europe are said to be due to people who went on vacation to Tyrol. The Innsbruck public prosecutor is investigating four suspects for deliberately or negligently endangering people for communicable diseases.
