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You yourself were on the ski slopes on Monday, what were your impressions?
Christophe Darbellay: I was in La Fouly, a small ski area in the area near the Gran San Bernardo. It is going very well, there are many families with children, just a little snow. People respect the rules of the game. Mountain railways and public transport have done a lot and I am very relieved that we can draw a positive balance after the first week in the context of Covid.
Darbellay went skiing at La Fouly. The small ski area is located near the border with France and Italy.
© Screenshot of Google Maps
Also based on reviews of the main ski areas?
Yes, I have contact with everyone practically every day, with Zermatt, Portes du Soleil, Crans Montana, Verbier, the largest and the smallest areas. With strict protection concepts, we enjoy the greatest possible trail freedom across Europe.
You say it: you are an exception in Europe, there is a high risk of damaging your image. When it comes to “Ischgl”, no one thinks about skiing anymore, only the spread of the crown. Take that risk.
I don’t see any “Ischgl risk”. We have the situation under control. There is no après-ski, no nightlife or open restaurants. We are restrictive. We are miles from an Ischgl Rambazamba like last spring. I feel much safer than on a Valais ski slope than on an SBB train, on the Lausanne metro or on an S-Bahn in Zurich.
As the “Sunday newspaper” reported, more than 200 British guests left Verbier in a night and fog operation despite the obligation to self-quarantine. How big is your frustration?
We must first be clear. I have ordered an examination from our health department and the cantonal police. We need to know how many British actually arrived and how many left, and what the consequences will be for those who left. We will try to locate and contact them.
What could be the consequences for those in hiding? A fine or even an advertisement?
This is exactly what I am currently legally clarifying. Another problem was that we only received the list of names of British citizens who had entered the country two days after the Federal Council’s quarantine decision. We try with all hoteliers and tourism agencies to find these names. But this is a great exercise that takes time. And they are not criminals, they were simply unlucky that there was a Covid mutation in their country.
Are Valais corona samples now being sequenced more frequently to find out if it is the mutated Covid virus?
Of course we are investigating this, but so far we have no evidence that the mutated virus is in Valais.
Will British refugees also be welcomed in Valais in the future?
Naturally. The British have been very loyal guests in Valais since the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 by Englishman Edward Whymper. The British love Valais as one of the most beautiful cantons in the Alps, and it still is.
The sudden quarantine requirement is likely to have come as a shock to many Britons. Are you afraid to avoid Switzerland in the future?
No I dont think so. We treated them well during this time, and the British had to be quarantined in other countries as well.
He criticizes the delay in the delivery of names by the federal government. But when he defended the opening of the runways in Valais, he said that Verbier and Zermatt would become the “Baghdad of Switzerland” thanks to increased security measures. That obviously wasn’t enough …
My statement from Baghdad referred to the strict controls on the slopes, which are carried out very seriously. We offer our guests the highest possible security. With other public transports, like the SBB, the measures are much less strict!
At Verbier you can ski today, with a mask, of course.
© Keystone
Which way?
SBB only asks you to wear a mask, nothing more. But nobody says anything! The same goes for Christmas shopping in Zurich. I wonder how fair it is to deal with mountain areas.
In general, more alcohol flows on New Years Eve than on Christmas. This also brings you closer. So are you increasing security measures so there are no superprocessor events?
No, no additional measures are required. Valais was the first canton to take and enforce strict measures at the end of October, unlike many other cantons.
Francophone Switzerland in general has reacted earlier, which, however, also had to do with the higher number of infections. The German-Swiss waited a long time. Are you angry with your colleagues ennet der Saane?
I am not mad at anyone. But it is worrying that the cantons that have done their work are not rewarded and in some cases even punished further. Why did the Federal Council only take action when German-speaking Switzerland was affected? When this crisis is over at some point, we will have to seriously discuss the nature of Swiss federalism.
You also mean the crown trench?
Of course I mean the crown trench! When self-proclaimed experts publicly say that French-speaking countries are more affected by the virus because they kiss more often and interact more with the French, then the question arises about national cohesion. I consider such statements to be extremely un-Swiss.
Christophe Darbellay, who chaired the national CVP from 2006 to 2016, criticizes “non-Swiss statements” by experts about the high number of cases in French-speaking Switzerland.
© Keystone
Restaurants are also all over the country. In addition to the regulation on difficult living conditions, is it necessary to adopt more auxiliary measures for the tourism and catering sector?
Absolutely. For a hardship regulation, you must have lost 40 percent of annual turnover. This is, of course, the case for establishments that had to close in March. An owner who has managed reasonably well does not reach 40 percent. But he should also be compensated. However, so far there hasn’t been much from the federal government.
Viola Amherd is a Valaisian and a party colleague on the Federal Council. However, one has the feeling that the measures are not being implemented to the taste of the Valais. How close are you to her?
I am on good terms with her and with several federal advisers. She does a great job as a federal counselor. I can’t say more about that.
The call for a blockade across Europe is growing. What do you think
I don’t see this need. Switzerland always followed its own path during the crisis, and I think it was no worse than Germany, Austria or France.
School closure will be a problem again, too, for you too?
No, I am against closing the school. Children appear to be much less likely to transmit the disease than adults. There are fewer cases where children are in school than anywhere else. We had the most infections in the week after fall break. And then there is the school dimension: it is very difficult for children to catch up again from the first confinement. Therefore, I will fight another school closure.
And how do you celebrate the New Year yourself?
With the family in a small circle, in a chalet, with a good non-alcoholic Valais and Rimuss wine for the children.
