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The issue is polarizing: to avoid a dreaded corona wave during the holiday season, the EU wants to completely suspend ski operations until January 10. Winter sports resorts are threatened with massive economic losses, not to mention the fact that a popular leisure activity is in jeopardy in winter.
Switzerland is looking for a middle ground and is “the big beneficiary”, it can already be heard abroad. Health Minister Alain Berset (48) started talks with the affected cantons and the mountain railways last week. Now, according to a report from the “Tages-Anzeiger”, Berset presented a draft comprehensive ordinance to the cantons on Monday.
Planning for emergencies
According to the draft, winter tourism should be given special treatment, but mountain rail concerns are only partially addressed. There is much more bureaucracy. Winter sports stations are now supposed to obtain a permit from the canton to operate.
This is intended to help prevent the operation if the epidemiological situation in the area in question was not under control or if there were not enough hospital beds available to treat ski accidents in addition to Covid-19 patients. In addition, regions must have developed comprehensive protection concepts and have sufficient corona evidence.
Arithmetic on the chairlift
The greatest controversy is due to the regulation on the limited number of visitors included in the concept of protection. According to this, Berset offers two variants: either the ski areas allow a maximum of two thirds of the number of guests on the most visited day of the previous winter season, or the number of guests is limited to 80 percent of the average of Christmas holidays in the last five years.
This means that individual mountain railways have to continually make complicated projections about when the ceiling has been reached and from which point visitors should be out of the gate. And what about guests who are still on their way to the ski resort?
Berset’s second proposal should lead to less guest shortages at individual destinations. This calculation basis also includes figures for seasons with little snow and bad weather.
And who needs to go to the bathroom quickly?
As a plus, many guests should appreciate that cable cars with standing room can only be used up to two-thirds of their capacity, which is already being voluntarily implemented by many mountain railways. And when queuing for the elevator, the distance rules must apply in addition to the mask requirements.
The affected mountainous regions will probably not be able to avoid fewer guests. But anyone with just a little experience in skiing knows how difficult it is to implement these protection concepts on the lifts. There is usually a crowd, space is limited. Maintaining your distance on the ski lift will require great discipline on the part of the skiers, or strict supervision by the staff.
From now on, a different regime also prevails in restaurants. Guests should only be allowed in if there is a free table. Quickly get a snack or drink – that will only work if there is enough space or if restaurants also offer the ability to order outside. Not to mention the challenge of just wanting to go to the bathroom quickly. Based on feedback from the cantons, the Federal Council apparently wants to decide definitively on the restrictions for winter sports on Friday. (kes)
