According to Van Dijck, many people will now go on a winter holiday anyway. “People are not advised to go skiing, but here all winter infrastructure and skating rinks must remain closed. What alternative do they have? Nothing. And what are they going to do? Go on holiday, instead of staying in their own country.”
Skating can also be perfectly corona-proof, she says: “We can limit the number of visitors to 100 by 3,000 square meters and our roof is 15 meters high. Extra ventilation is also possible.”
In the meantime, the electricity costs, among other things, are getting very high, because the ice floor cannot be removed: “It is the largest slope in Belgium. If we switched off the cooling, it would take three weeks for the ice to completely disappear. We want to start up again. , then that is only possible when everything is completely dry, otherwise the skating floor will break and we will have even more costs. So we have to stay active. “
The compensation they receive from the government does not cover all the costs: “It’s a piece of cake.”
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