On the slats, but not on the rags this winter season in Austria. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has declared an après ski ban after perhaps hundreds, possibly thousands, of skiers were infected at a ski bar in Ischgl last winter.
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Even skiing will be different this year. Especially in Austria, where about a quarter of all Belgian winter sports enthusiasts go. Despite the increasing number of corona infections, the ski season itself is not in danger for the time being. The slopes will all open.
But things will all be different, because Chancellor Kurz has announced that the après-ski bars will remain closed throughout the winter.
Other measures
Winter sports enthusiasts must also wear a mouth mask in the gondolas and keep their distance.
Restaurants are only allowed to eat and drink at tables. In addition, in some regions cafes and restaurants have to close at 10 pm. “Ski schools may have a maximum of 10 students per group,” said Tourism Minister Elisabeth Köstinger.
Austria is taking these measures after the fierce criticism this spring. In Tyrol, hundreds, possibly thousands, of skiers became infected with the corona virus, especially in a number of après-ski bars. In Ischgl, the Ibiza of the Alps, among other places, a bartender infected a large group of winter sports enthusiasts.
Yet the government did not intervene, or much too late. Afterwards, the winter sports enthusiasts took the virus home. Also to our country. Nearly five thousand winter sports enthusiasts from different countries still have one group complaint run against the ‘irresponsible behavior’ of the Austrian government.
Switzerland
In the Swiss canton of Graubünden, a first ski resort has already decided not to open next winter. The Fideriser Heuberge area is only profitable with a very high occupancy rate. However, this will not be possible due to the corona virus. Management also fears for the safety of both staff and guests.
Fideriser Heuberge is located in the Prättigau valley in the canton of Graubünden, near the fashionable Davos.
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