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France, Italy and Germany want all European Alpine countries to keep their ski resorts closed over the holidays to help fight the pandemic. Reaching an agreement with neighbouring Austria is proving difficult, German Chancellor Merkel said this week, and Switzerland, which is not part of the EU, is allowing near-normal operations at its resorts.
“The ski season is approaching. We will be trying to coordinate in Europe whether we could close all ski resorts over the holidays,” Merkel told parliament, adding that this might not be possible given resistance from Austria and Switzerland.
In the first wave of the coronavirus at the start of the year, many Germans were infected at the Austrian ski resort of Ischgl. Germany last month issued travel warnings for popular ski regions in Austria, Italy and Switzerland.
France, Italy, Austria and Germany have all ordered even the high-altitude lifts that could be running this early in the winter to remain closed for now in the hope that all resorts can benefit at peak-season, if and when the infection rate slows.
Austria’s nationwide lockdown is due to be lifted on Dec. 7, but it is not clear what that will mean for the ski sector. Austria has been lukewarm about common European rules. Germany is Austria’s biggest source of foreign tourists.
Earlier this week, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte warned people not to ski during the Christmas holidays to help curb a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. He also called on other European countries to agree on common rules for the sector to prevent cases being imported from abroad if Italy keeps its slopes closed. France says its ski slopes must stay off limits until 2021. France’s ski resorts, among the most popular in Europe, will not be allowed to reopen in time for the year-end holiday season.
If the European Union forces skiing areas to stay closed, it will mean losses of up to 2 billion euros, which the EU should cover, Austrian Finance Minister Gernot Bluemel said earlier this week.
Merkel agreed with leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states late on Wednesday to extend and tighten a coronavirus lockdown until Dec. 20, but ease rules over the Christmas holidays to let families and friends celebrate together.
This news is concern for the North American ski season. Last season when many ski resorts across Europe stopped spinning lifts at the onset of the pandemic, our resorts weren’t far behind.
Source: Reuters
