Samnaun is the first Swiss ski area to introduce 2G
The village in the canton of Graubünden is bowing to the pandemic requirements from Austria. One wants to have uniform rules in the cross-border ski area.
The duty-free Samnaun in Graubünden, together with the Austrian Ischgl, forms the international Silvretta Ski Arena with 239 km of slopes and more than 40 transport systems.
Photo: Keystone (archive)
If you want to use all the slopes in the cross-border Samnaun / Ischgl ski area, you have to be vaccinated or have recovered. Samnaun in Graubünden is responding to requirements from Austria. Federal President Guy Parmelin, meanwhile, expressed concern on Wednesday about the increase in the number of corona cases.
It is a first for Switzerland: the cross-border ski area Samnaun / Ischgl is the first in Switzerland to introduce the 2G certificate requirement.
The background to this is that in Austria the state prescribes the use of the 2G rule for ski resorts. The fact that the Grisons Samnaun is following is because the mountain railways in the Silvretta Ski Arena wanted to have uniform rules, said the Samnaun mountain railway director Mario Jenal. He confirmed reports from “Südostschweiz” and the news portal nau.ch.
Snow sports enthusiasts who have neither been vaccinated nor recovered can still ski in Samnaun. As an alternative, there is a ticket only for the Graubünden part of the ski area. However, a certificate is also required there. The 3G rule applies – an exception in Switzerland.
Federal Council is monitoring the situation
At the Federal Council meeting on Wednesday, the question of the certificate requirement in ski areas and the 2G rule were not an issue, according to Federal Council spokesman André Simonazzi. However, Federal President Guy Parmelin spoke to the media in Bern about the pandemic in general.
