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The dispute over the ski season intensifies. Austria resists Germany, France and Italy rushing to close ski areas until January 10. South Tyrol and Slovakia are waiting. “Switzerland is the big beneficiary”, writes the Austrian “Kurier”. The newspaper speaks of an “elevator war.” The fact that there are disputes across the EU about the closure of ski facilities and thus about the Christmas season does not concern Switzerland at the moment. The ski and Christmas seasons in Switzerland are by no means spared. Ski resorts are threatened with massive operational restrictions.
Federal Councilor Alain Berset (48) is exerting great pressure on tourist cantons to adopt new protection measures. This is reported by the “SonntagsZeitung”. Accordingly, the capacities of the ski areas should be restricted in such a way that large crowds of people are avoided. This means that the capacity would be reduced to less than half during the holiday period. The mountain railways want to defend themselves against this.
Capacities are said to be reduced to 40 percent, a Federal Council project that the SVP wants to stop in parliament. Health Minister Berset has already informed the economists of the cantons of Grisons, Uri and Valais, as well as the Swiss cable cars, about a package of measures called the “festival package”. Protection measures in place at ski resorts should be strengthened. And drastically. If the addressees cannot find an amicable solution, the Federal Council threatens to take action on its own.
Does the Federal Council kneel before Merkel, Macron and Conte?
According to this, two-thirds of the average visitors in the last five years should be able to enter a ski area between Christmas and New Years. This also includes two almost snowless seasons. If the weather is still bad, you can expect “only 40 percent of the maximum value,” says Marcus Gschwend of the Graubünden mountain railways.
Operators also don’t want to know about an increased risk of infection when skiing. Probably no leisure activity will have more space and fresh air than skiing. Mario Davatz, from the Grüsch-Danus mountain railways, suspects that “it simply gives in to pressure from outside”: “In Ischgl, the infections occurred during après-ski. And that won’t happen this year anyway. “
In bourgeois circles there is talk of the Federal Council kneeling before Merkel, Macron and Conte. National Councilor SVP Thomas Matter (54) wants to apply to the National Council on Monday. The Federal Council must be urged to resist pressure from neighboring countries. Bern should not impose any further restrictions on Covid for Swiss winter sports during the festive season. (kes)
