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The ski areas of the canton of Schwyz remain closed. The governing council promises the necessary operating permit as of January 8 at the earliest. The cantons of central Switzerland suspended winter sports operations on December 22 due to the corona pandemic.
The tense epidemiological situation and the persistent high hospital occupancy continued to make it impossible to issue operating permits, the health department announced on Monday. The ski areas will remain closed until Friday, January 8, 2021 inclusive. In the last three days, the number of new infections in the canton of Schwyz increased by 122.
Hospitals that are already working at their capacity limit should not suffer an additional burden from ski accidents, he said. The federal government has transferred responsibility for winter sports operations to the cantons. Ski areas must receive a permit from them.
Tense situation in hospitals
The canton of Schwyz currently does not meet the epidemiological requirements to issue an operating license. Ski resort protection concepts would allow operation, contact tracing would work, and there would also be sufficient testing capabilities.
However, the number of cases and the so-called R-value, which indicates how many people are infected by an infected person, are still above the national average. The most significant factor, however, is the tense situation in hospitals. All ski lifts and chair lifts, ski slopes and toboggan runs remain closed. Mountain railways can still work.
According to the announcement, the governing council regrets that the closure of the ski areas should be extended.
Obwalden reopens from December 30
The canton of Obwalden makes a different decision. The governing council decided to reopen the ski areas as of December 30. According to a statement, the epidemiological situation in the canton has basically stabilized. There is also good news from the hospital sector: at Obwalden Cantonal Hospital, the situation has eased, announced the governing council.
For ski operation, capacity limits are set based on the first entries per day. Also, there should be a limited catering offer in the form of takeout. These establishments cannot serve alcohol in the ski area. All restaurants, bars and clubs are closed. “The canton currently has no room for maneuver, as the criteria required for opening according to federal law are not currently met,” the governing council writes.
The Uri and Nidwalden governments also wanted to report on a possible reopening of the ski areas on Monday. The Lucerne government will decide on Tuesday.
Limited number of guests in Graubünden
After the Central Swiss Health Directors Conference (ZGDK) ruled in favor of not skiing for the time being, all six cantons stopped skiing on December 22. The cantons of Graubünden, Valais, Bern, Vaud and Ticino, for their part, left their ski areas open during the festive period. In some cases, however, there were severe restrictions.
Take Flims GR, for example: “We have severely restricted access to the ski area during the holidays,” says Markus Wolf (47), director of the Weisse Arena Gruppe. With perfect snow and sun conditions, you can normally find up to 13,000 skiers on the mountain. In the last few days there were only 8000. According to Wolf, the system has proven its effectiveness.
A role model for the other cantons of central Switzerland? At least that’s what the Titlis mountain rail operators hope for. The gondolas are still working there. But they are empty. By order of the cantonal authorities, only walkers and cross-country skiers can be transported.
Two million holes on the Titlis
Mountain railways yearn for an opening for skiers. “We are in talks with the canton,” says marketing director Urs Egli. “Hope is the last thing you lose.” The mountain railways are short of two million francs due to the brief closure of the cash register. That is a large sum. The quasi-closure of the ski area occurred during the season with the highest turnover. It was a “very difficult decision,” says Egli.
In comparison: the annual turnover of the Titlis Mountain Railways is almost 80 million francs. The elevators contribute around 50 million. The rest comes from the hotel and restaurant industry. With mountain railways it is still clear: “Safety has a top priority.” (SDA / ise)
