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Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza did not authorize the planned opening of the ski slopes from February 15 and extended their closure until March 5, the ministry said Sunday night.
Photo: Napi.hu – Image illustration.
The minister immediately repealed the decisions to open ski slopes, which were made by the provinces on the basis of measures taken by the previous government, writes the MTI correspondent.
Among others, the alpine region of Lombardy, Piedmont, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto had planned to reopen the ski slopes, which had been slowly closing for a year, starting on February 15. Health authorities have not supported the relaunch of ski tourism due to mutations in the new coronavirus, especially the strong spread of the great variant of the United Kingdom, which mainly affects areas of northern Italy.
The regions protested the ministry’s last-minute ban. It’s a huge loss because everything in the Italian Alps was ready to receive tourists safely, said Daniele D’Amario, head of tourism at the Council of Regions. The opening of the ski slopes has been postponed by the Ministry of Health four times in recent months and has now come to a standstill again at the last minute.
The mayor of Bardonecchia, Piedmont, known as a winter vacation spot, called Rome’s hesitation a Francesco Avati joke. He considers that France is more serious, where the ski slopes have been closed and those who work in the sector are not being deceived.
Giancarlo Giorgetti, the league match minister who took office on Saturday, said the ski season was over. Giorgetti asked for immediate financial help for ski tourism in northern Italy. The 4.5 billion euros of public funds promised so far are not enough.
The sector has an annual turnover of 12,000 million euros and employs 400,000 people, including the hospitality industry in the ski area. Ski tourism in Italy receives 4 million guests a year, a third of them between December and January, writes MTI.
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