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The fear of a second “Ischgl” is great: in most countries, ski areas will remain closed to tourists during the Christmas period due to the corona pandemic, with a few exceptions.
Is it possible to ski in Germany this year?
So far it is clear: the ski lifts in the German winter sports areas should not be in operation until December 20. The federal and state governments also agreed to extend the partial lockdown until January 10. Ski areas are also likely to be affected by this. Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder said that BR: “With the extension of the blockade it is clear that the ski lifts cannot be opened.”
What speaks against the opening of the ski slopes, for tourists during the day, for example?
In the first Corona wave, the example of the Ischgl Tyrolean ski resort has just shown how massively the virus can spread from winter sports areas across Europe. Even with the après-ski ban, many risk factors remain: long lines in front of the ski lifts, crowded cable cars, little space in the cabins. Also, hospitals should not be burdened by treating ski accidents.
“We have to avoid any kind of massive event,” said Clemens Wendtner, chief physician of the Infectious Diseases Clinic at the Schwabing Clinic in Munich. It can be assumed that “the spread of the virus through areosols also works well outdoors when standing or sitting together on the ski lift or, in particular, in the ski gondolas.”
The president of the World Medical Association, Frank Ulrich Montgomery, warned in the joint morning magazine of ARD Y ZDF: “I consider it negligent and dangerous to open elevators.”
What do cable car operators and tourism experts say?
Winter tourism is an extremely important economic factor in many ski areas in Europe. Many companies lost their revenue in March and April. Winter tourists also tend to spend more money on average in the region than summer tourists.
Matthias Stauch, chairman of the board of the German Cable Car Association and a member of the board of the Bavarian Zugspitzbahn, talks about the concepts of safety and hygiene. By October, the cable cars had carried more than 450,000 guests and “until now it was not known that the guests had been infected with us,” Stauch said in the joint morning magazine of ARD Y ZDF. In “Spiegel” he referred to the expected losses in the cable car industry. Last year it had a net turnover of 80 million, a third of what there was between Christmas and Epiphany.
In the course of the dispute over the closure of ski areas across Europe, Austria threatened compensation claims in the billions and expected a loss of sales of 800 million euros for each of the weeks of vacation.
What are the Austrian ski areas like?
While Italy and Germany are vehemently campaigning for the closure of ski areas across Europe, Austria wants to go its own way. Skiing should be possible again from December 24, even if restaurants and hotels remain closed. With the lift operation, the touring ski must also be limited again.
However, pleasure should only be reserved for locals. A ten-day quarantine obligation was imposed from December 7 to January 10 for all travelers from the risk areas of Corona; tourists from Germany are also affected. If you travel back to Bavaria, you can expect another ten days of quarantine there.
What about Kleinwalsertal and Jungholz at the Tannheimer Tal?
The Kleinwalsertal and Jungholz ski resorts in Tannheimer Tal belong to Austria, but can only be reached from Germany. The elevator operators have gotten loud BR but now it was decided in favor of the Bavarian regulation, so they will not be opened.
Is it allowed to ski in Italy?
Also in Italy, ski tourists were infected with Corona in February and the virus spread. Giuseppe Conte’s government decided on strict rules despite strong opposition from the northern Italian ski regions. The ski areas remain closed. Travel will be severely restricted between December 21 and January 6, also between regions. Even Italians are not allowed to travel to their holiday apartments in the ski areas. Likewise, tracks should initially be taboo for locals.
And France?
France wants to keep the ski areas open during the Christmas holidays, but the ski lifts should not be open. The resentment in France is great: the presidents of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and the departments of Savoy, Isère and Haute-Savoie want to involve the supreme administrative court. “Let’s open our stations with strict sanitary protocols. Let the French enjoy their mountains. Thousands of jobs depend on it,” said the president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alps Region, Laurent Wauquiez, according to AFP.
What’s left? Switzerland.
Switzerland wants to stick to the ski season. So far no quarantine requirement has been mentioned when entering as in Austria. However, the total number of guests in a location should be limited and strict distance rules should be applied when queuing for elevators. A mask requirement in the pedestrian areas of ski resorts is also being discussed. The neighboring country of France requires ski tourists returning from Switzerland to be quarantined for seven days.
For most Germans, Switzerland shouldn’t be an option due to quarantine rules for returnees. However, the rules differ from state to state. Baden-Württemberg wants to adhere to an exemption, according to which tourists do not have to be quarantined after their return. This also applies to fans of winter sports who want to spend a day on the slopes of the neighboring country. In North Rhine-Westphalia, on the other hand, according to a court decision, there is currently no quarantine rule for returning travelers. There is enough for tourists to report after the trip. Also, the health department may request proof of the test.
