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Corona hotspot Ischgl: Hundreds of Germans threaten Tirol with class action lawsuit

2020-03-28T08:54:36.189Z


The Austrian ski resort Ischgl is suspected to be responsible for corona infections throughout Europe. Hundreds of Germans are now threatened with a lawsuit.


The Austrian ski resort Ischgl is suspected to be responsible for corona infections throughout Europe. Hundreds of Germans are now threatened with a lawsuit.

  • Austria is fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Popular winter sports resorts in Tyrol and Carinthia have been completely closed off.
  • In a popular location, the new coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 * is said to have spread particularly among ski vacationers.

Update of March 28, 9.42 a.m .: Around 400 skiers could join a class action lawsuit against the Tyrolean authorities for a late reaction to the onset of the coronavirus epidemic . The Austrian Consumer Protection Association ( VSV ) announced on Friday that around 400 people, including more than 350 Germans , had already registered two days after a corresponding call . Most would have vacationed in Ischgl and in the Paznaun valley.

Corona crisis in Austria: German skiers are probably considering class action

The association had previously filed a complaint against the Tyrolean governor Günther Platter , mayor, cable car companies and other officials. At the same time, he launched a Europe-wide call to potential sufferers who assume that they were infected with the new type of corona virus during a skiing holiday in Tyrol .

The authorities in Tyrol are accused of reacting too late to the first signs of an outbreak in the popular winter sports resort of Ischgl , thereby promoting expansion in Europe and beyond. The VSV stated that it wanted to collect testimony through its website. These should prove "that the closure of the ski resort was delayed for commercial reasons".

Ischgl: Corona hotspot for all of Europe - explosive SMS traffic now published

Update from March 26, 2020: The Tyrolean ski resort of Ischgl is one of the epicentres of the corona virus . The après-ski mecca is said to have worked like a kind of spirit. The provoked flash of flame is said to have subsequently spread across Europe. Now the search for the fire accelerators is underway.

The Innsbruck public prosecutor's office has already launched an investigation. The path now leads to the tourism industry, which apparently dictates local regulations. "In Tyrol it is not politics that controls tourism, but tourism that controls politics ", says Austrian political advisor Peter Plaikner to the world .

Corona-Mekka Ischgl: SMS traffic causes the next trouble

According to a report by the ORF , the tourism association has informed hoteliers in advance of the upcoming measures. In order to avoid quarantine, some companies are said to have urged their employees to leave the place.

The Austrian standard also reports of negligent SMS traffic , the content of which also brings the tourism industry into trouble. It is said to be the conversation between the ÖVP National Council member Franz Hörl and the operator of the famous après-ski bar Kitzloch. The conversation was initially published on a Tyrolean blog. Hörl, who is considered a lobbyist for the cable car industry, is said to have requested another week of skiing for other Tyrolean regions one day before the quarantine for Ischgl was announced .

Coronavirus in Ischgl - Was the Host Really Resident?

But a little later Hörl also became aware of the seriousness of the situation. In the SMS chat, he appeals to the operator's reason. He should finally close his bar, otherwise he could be "to blame at the end of the season in Ischgl and possibly Tyrol". A completely altruistic act by the cable car lobbyist? Obviously not. "When a camera sees the operation, we stand there like a Hottentot state, " it continues.

The conversation is said to have taken place on March 9th. On that day, the test results of 15 people who were said to have been infected with the virus in the “Kitzloch” became known . The state of Tyrol should announce the closing of the bar on the same evening.

The ÖVP deputy is said to have already attested to the standard's authenticity. According to Hörl, the "urgent appeals" were necessary at the time because the innkeeper had acted "unreasonably". The answers given by the restaurateur should, however, prove otherwise.

Ischgl Corona hotspot for all of Europe - Public prosecutor determined

Update of March 24, 2020 : The winter sports resort of Ischgl (Austria) has become the focus of the judiciary. The Innsbruck public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the spread of the coronavirus . As the authority announced on Tuesday, it is investigating the suspicion that a restaurant company did not report a positive test by an employee to the health authorities at the end of February, the news agency dpa said.

The state of Tyrol (see below) forwarded a request from the ZDF to the public prosecutor's office with the corresponding suspicion. "It is unknown which company it is supposed to be and whether reporting obligations have actually been violated," said the public prosecutor. Therefore, it is now being investigated.

There is also another ad. According to kleinezeitung.at, consumer advocate Peter Kolba submitted a “factual description” to the public prosecutor's office on Tuesday because the authorities have delayed the blocking of the hotels and slopes. According to the accusation, the authorities should have known about a coronavirus infection risk at the latest on March 5 . The advertisement, which is also directed against the governor Günther Platter (ÖVP), who is responsible for tourism, refers to information that was published in a journalistic blog.

Austria / Ischgl: Was the first corona case covered up?

Update of March 23, 2020 : The ski resort Ischgl can no longer get out of the headlines. As reported by oe24.at, there is said to have been a first positive corona case. However, this was not reported. Accordingly, the state of Tyrol has apparently turned on the public prosecutor. A German medium, according to the Austrian news agency APA , informed the municipality of Ischgl that a company there was said to be aware of a positive case at the end of February. However, the company did not report the case to the health authority as required by law under the Epidemic Act.
However, much is still unclear. It is not initially known whether this is a suspected case or an actually positive corona case. However, the allegations are so serious that the state of Tyrol has sent the matter to the public prosecutor.

The State of Tyrol has long been criticized for the Corona outbreak in Ischgl. The authorities and responsible politicians are accused of having acted too late in the developments in the ski resort.

In Tyrol, the number of coronavirus cases tested positive increased over the weekend by 78 to 1,020 (as of March 23, 9:00 a.m.), the federal state announced on its website. Tirol registers all cases that test positive in the state, regardless of their registration address or citizenship.

Corona outbreak: Ski vacationers spread virus

Update from March 22, 2020 : After Ischgl, the state of Tyrol has issued a corona alarm for the Zillertal . The number of Covid 19 cases has grown. In addition to hotels and pensions, bars and restaurants affected. Now Zillertal après-ski guests should report to the health authorities.

Update from March 17, 2020 : Ski vacationers have become the focus of the Corona epidemic. According to Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn, the current Sars CoV-2 infections in Germany are also due to contacts in ski areas.

"The outbreak that we have at the moment has a lot to do with the returnees from a skiing holiday," said the CDU politician in Munich on Tuesday. He referred to South Tyrol , Austria and Switzerland . That's why Spahn is calling home returnees from ski areas to stay at home for two weeks if possible.

Tirol , however, rejects the criticism that it reacted too late to the corona virus in the case of the Ischgl ski resort . Ischgl in Tyrol is the center of the Corona outbreak in Austria. After vacationers from Iceland tested positive for Sars-CoV-2 after their return, the country of Ischgl declared it a risk area on March 5 (see below).

Health Minister Bernhard Tilg (ÖVP) rejected all allegations on Monday night in the ORF news program ZIB2. Tirol has always taken measures, "the overall procedure was correct". As the ORF reports, the State Health Council was outraged that the foreign media gave the impression that the coronavirus had developed in Ischgl.

Ski resort Ischgl: violent allegations - corona hotspot for all of Europe?

First report from March 16, 2020

Munich - You were skiing in Ischgl (Austria) and went there by coach? Due to suspicions of corona, the District Office Ostalbkreis (Baden-Württemberg) has launched an urgent call. Around 200 people were in coaches in Ischgl and could have been infected with the corona virus:

“Participants on ski trips to Ischgl last Saturday (March 7, 2020) should report to the health department and stay home tomorrow (editorial note: March 13).

Last Saturday, March 7, 2020 there were ski trips from various bus companies from the Ostalb district to Ischgl. In the meantime, participants of the excursions have tested positive for the corona virus. The test results were sent to the Health Department of the Ostalbkreis this evening. "

The district office has specially set up an email at ischgl@ostalbkreis.de . Affected people can also contact the Health Department by phone at 07361 503-1901.

Ischgl identified as a hotspot for corona infections

Austria has taken drastic steps to contain the coronavirus * in the past few days. The Tyrolean ski resort of Ischgl ends its winter season prematurely on March 12, after more and more corona infections became known and Tyrol had ordered the ski area to be closed for two weeks. An explosive situation had already emerged days before. Was the location in the ski area misjudged?

Iceland had declared Ischgl a risk area on March 5 and declared a state of emergency on March 7 after a man (50) and a woman (70) were found to have contracted Covid-19 lung disease in Austria or Italy. Ischgl in Tyrol was declared a risk area and travelers who came home from February 29 were quarantined.

On March 7, a bartender (36) tested positive for the corona virus in the "Kitzloch" after several visitors to the après-ski pub showed symptoms. The state of Tyrol downplayed the matter.

"From a medical point of view, a transmission of the corona virus to guests of the bar is rather unlikely," Anita Luckner-Hornischer from the Tyrolean State Medical Directorate informed in a press release. And further: "In the sense of maximum transparency and clarification for all bar visitors, from 15.2. until 7.3. In this bar were and are currently showing flu-like symptoms, the opportunity to contact the 1450 telephone health advice service and clarify their state of health. "

On March 10, the bar in Ischgl was officially blocked by the state of Tyrol.

Many ski vacationers from Scandinavia have become infected in Austria

The Danish and Norwegian health authorities see Austria as the main source country, reports orf.at. Many Scandinavians would have been infected during a skiing holiday in Austria. In Denmark, 265 of the 785 sufferers in Austria were infected. Norway quantifies 459 out of 907 total cases of sick holidaymakers across Austria (as of March 14, 2020).

Germans tested positive after Ischgl vacation

The Ischgl ski area is also popular with Germans. In addition to hotel guests, winter sports enthusiasts also make small groups for a day trip by bus to the ski area in Tyrol. Returnees have tested positive for the corona virus in the past few days. In addition to the Ostalb district in Baden-Württemberg , a “cluster” with 80 cases occurred in Hamburg on Friday. Media reports that in Hesse , Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, skiers from Ischgl were among those who tested positive. The consequences of an infection chain are fatal.

An anesthetist at the Salzburg University Hospital (LKH) was infected with coronavirus, it was announced on Saturday. The doctor got infected during his skiing holiday in Ischgl. 84 people must be in quarantine. The doctor had a total of 18 patients, 53 nurses, three flight paramedics and a helicopter pilot, reports kurier.at .

Tirol rejects criticism

The state of Tyrol rejects criticism of the late measures, according to orf.at. One reacted immediately after secure data was available.

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Corona virus in Austria: numerous ski vacationers have been infected with Covid-19. Now there is a lawsuit.

© dpa / Jakob Gruber

A corona virus map shows current case numbers in Germany in real time *. A German data scientists team is now publishing a map that shows the spread of the virus in real time - worldwide numbers are also available.

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* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network .

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-03-28

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