Covidfallen rises in Åre: “It can definitely take off”

Of: Matilda Aprea Malmqvist

Published: March 1, 2021 at 22.25
Updated: March 1, 2021 at 10:49 p.m.

NEWS

ARE. Going to the mountains is not a big problem in itself.

The risk of infection arises when you spend time with people outside your family, says infection control doctor Annika Ersson.

– It is possible to be a tourist in the mountain world without being crowded with others, he says.

At Östersund Hospital, three patients are cared for in IVA. Seven people with covid-19 are hospitalized. They are low figures even for being in the municipality of Östersund. However, the infection has increased significantly.

Last week, 330 cases of covid-19 were reported. Of these, about 15 percent were mountain travelers who were infected in their home regions but were tested in Åre, says Annika Ersson, an infection control doctor in the county.

– It is worrying considering that in February we were otherwise around 200-250 cases a week. It can definitely take off.

According to Annika Ersson, it is too early to say how things went during the sports holidays and whether tourists have affected the spread of the infection in the region.

– We have tested how it works over Christmas and New Years and did not see the infection spreading at that time.

Photo: PETER WIXTRÖM

Annika Ersson, infection control physician in the Jämtland Härjedalen region.

What do the neighbors think that the tracks are open?

– It’s very mixed. Many are worried but many are also happy.

Is there financial pressure on you in this? If you closed the mountain world, would it have led to an economic crisis?

– All measures taken must be proportional to not taking measures. Everything has consequences. It’s not always so easy to assess the long-term consequences when you shut things down. But it is clear that it will have consequences. It is a difficult trade-off to make. But if you look at Christmas and New Years, it is possible to start the business.

But are there more people who come during sports holidays than at Christmas and New Years?

– I understand your question, but as it looks now, we make the assessment that it is possible to be a tourist in the mountain world without being crowded with others.

At the same time, competition matches for young people are prohibited, but is it allowed to ski?

– Ski with your travel companion. When there are games, the teams are formed with different competitors from the country and there are areas of contact with people who normally do not meet.

But what is the difference?

– When you go to a competition, you meet people you don’t normally know. If you follow the restrictions, you will only go out with your travel companion.

What would it take to close the tracks?

– It is a decision that the companies themselves must make, it would be necessary for them to receive evidence that it is actually an unsustainable situation in the mountains.

But didn’t you know until later?

– We have seen that during Christmas and New Years it worked well. The regulations are very different and can seem illogical. The thing to remember is that this is about helping people avoid congestion.

It can be difficult to understand when giant companies like it Skistar, Ullared and Ikea it may be open, but many other things must be closed.

– This is a great reaction in the pit of the stomach. Everyone else shouldn’t do this because you risk affecting me. I think you missed the target completely. Some may have gone to the mountains, but others may have gone to visit relatives in other parts of the country. Those who go to the mountains may have the least risk of infection because they have only met family.

– The mountains are not the problem. It is when you meet others who are not family. The young people who were partying had been partying at home. If you want to follow the restrictions, you follow them both at home and on vacation, and if you don’t, it’s just as bad wherever you are, says Annika Ersson.

Published: March 1, 2021 at 22.25