Corona-off for ski vacation? Merkel and Söder make drastic demands - France goes its own way

The discussion about closing the ski resorts over Christmas is coming to a head.

In France ski lifts are closed, the winter sports resorts themselves remain open.

• Chancellor Angela Merkel and Markus Söder want the ski areas to be closed across Europe.

• In Austria one does not seem to agree with this at all.

• In France, a clear measure is being taken in winter sports resorts.

Update from November 26th, 12.50 p.m.:

In

, the

should

remain closed

during the

-

but

the

themselves will be

.

"Of course it will be possible for everyone to go to the resorts to enjoy the pure air of our beautiful mountains, the shops that will be open - except for bars and restaurants," Prime Minister

said

in a press conference on Thursday.

But it is very simple: "All ski lifts and public facilities will be closed to the public."

It would not be wise to bring large

together, stressed

.

The

in these areas should

either.

At the

, a

is currently being

discussed.

Corona-off for ski vacation?

Chancellor Merkel speaks out in favor of closing the ski areas

Update from November 26th, 10:00 a.m.:

Chancellor

 on Thursday in the Bundestag in Berlin about possible

.

"The ski season is approaching," said the CDU politician.

should not take place, any unnecessary contact should be avoided.

“We will

endeavor

in

to vote on whether we can

.

Unfortunately, when you hear the Austrian pronouncements, it doesn't look like we could do it that easily, but we will try again, ”said Merkel.

Corona-off for ski vacation?

Söder appeals to the population

Update from November 26th, 7.15 a.m.:

After the

on Wednesday,

again

appealed

to the population

to

this year

.

This type of tourism "counteracts all efforts of the population"

to fight

the

.

That said Bavaria's Prime Minister on Wednesday evening in the

.

far, it has not been possible to agree

on a

at European level.

But a reduction in the offers is possible, explained

.

If the number of deaths in connection with the

to develop like this, it would be “6,000 dead by Christmas,” he calculated.

Therefore he sticks to his line of "prudence and caution".

Extend and deepen: Caution and caution remain the joint strategy of the federal and state governments.

The situation remains very serious.

We have a mild lockdown, so it takes a little longer.

There is more economic aid than anywhere else in Europe.

pic.twitter.com/v2pBrN2wR8

- Markus Söder (@Markus_Soeder) November 25, 2020

Corona-off for ski vacation?

Affected regions in northern Italy are calling for talks with the government

Update from November 25th, 5.30 p.m.:

The affected regions in northern

have

requested

talks with the Italian government in

.

The reason for this is the feared going it alone by

and

when opening the

.

The

President Luca Zaia announced on Wednesday.

He had previously

spoken

to

governor, Arno Kompatscher, and

president, Giovanni Toti, about it.

While

had

out in favor of a cross-border

on January 10, 2021,

rejects

a uniform regulation for the later opening of the ski areas.

Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz wants to make the opening of the Austrian ski resorts

dependent

solely on the number of

in

.

Ski ban over Christmas?

Federal Chancellor Kurz considers international vote to be "excessive"

Update from November 25th, 4:04 pm

:

- it was "

" that there was an

, said Austria's Chancellor

when asked at a press conference in Vienna.

And further: "I talked to both the Commission President and the President of the Council about it and I had the impression that the

see

details for certain countries."

Austria's Chancellor Kurz drives Söder and Conte into the parade

Opening steps in all areas, including

would be handled differently by states, said Kurz.

is relying on lockdown and mass tests to reduce corona numbers in December.

The winter season in the Alpine republic could then also start.

Relaxations are always related to the number of infections, "namely the number of

" emphasizes Kurz.

"I can only tell you that if someone goes running alone at the moment, then it is just as dangerous as if someone goes on a ski tour alone," said Kurz.

“When someone

uses

a

, it is similar to when they

use

.

You have to make decisions based on these aspects. "

Ski ban at Christmas - that's what Italy, Bavaria and France want

Italy's Prime Minister

wants to keep ski areas closed at least until January 10 in view of the corona pandemic.

Bavaria's Prime Minister

(CSU) supported the move (see update below).

French President

spoke out in favor of opening in January “under good conditions” and voting with neighboring countries.

Austria's Finance Minister Gernot Blümel reacted sensitively to the proposals.

He immediately demanded billions in compensation from Brussels if ski lifts were to be shut down over the Christmas holidays.

+

Ski ban over Christmas due to Corona?

Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz reacts indignantly (symbol photo).

© HANS PUNZ / APA / AFP)

Update from November 25, 2:05 p.m.:

The

operators

are facing a difficult winter.

Seldom has a season been so difficult to plan as this year.

from the Alpenplus ski association is hoping

the ski areas will

before the holidays in December.

“The Christmas holidays alone account for around a quarter of our winter sales.

The loss would be enormous. "

Asenstorfer

emphasizes: "We are in the starting blocks and we are confident that we can commence operations and the necessary 

can keep." Even

explains spokeswoman for the Zugspitze ski area: 

The piste conditions are currently a dream.

Corona-Aus for the ski vacation?

Söder flies his statement around the ears

Update from November 25, 12.20 p.m.:

The

Federal Government's

,

, is

critical of

a general

.

“Safety also comes first in winter.

But I am convinced that skiing to a

and under

such as a maximum number of daily ski passes is possible without any problems.

We should make things possible where security can be created.

I think a general ban is wrong, ”he told the

on Wednesday

.

The Bavarian Prime Minister

received

from his own coalition partner

after his demand for the Europe-wide closure of the ski areas

.

“A supranational 

 disproportionately restricts many people's search for relaxation.

That is why I speak out against blanket closures - especially because all the mountain railways have developed excellent hygiene concepts that they implement consistently, "said Free Voters parliamentary group leader

on Tuesday.

In particular, he warned against the closure of exclusively

.

On Wednesday, the tourism policy spokesman for the

with his

.

"How does Söder actually want to explain to people that they can

 together

in a fully occupied subway 

- but not ride in a chairlift outdoors?" Asked

.

He does not understand why outdoor sports without physical contact should be banned.

With good

concepts, special ticket management and a staggered schedule,

can be organized

within the framework of the

, explained

.

Corona-Aus for the ski vacation?

Austria reacts to proposals by rejecting them

Update from November 25th, 9.45 a.m.:

In

, people are anything but happy about the proposal to keep the

.

recently called for a

at least until January 10th.

The Bavarian Prime Minister

spoke out in favor of a uniform solution at European level.

Austria

reacted with vehement

to the proposals.

Finance Minister

demanded

from the EU (

Tourism Minister

made it clear: “Winter holidays in

will be safe.

Our companies have safety concepts for skiing holidays, there will be no après-ski this year. ”In the Alpine republic, people are convinced that

with

and

just as well as summer tourism this year.

In

, President

spoken out against the rapid opening of winter sports resorts,

despite the slightly improved

.

While it run plus one vote of the government, but it seemed to him

, an

to take at the end of the eye, the head of state said on Tuesday evening in a televised address.

“We will coordinate this with our European neighbors,” he said.

Corona-Aus for ski vacationers?

Söder supports the Italian proposal

Update from November 24th, 9.45pm:

No ski vacation over Christmas?

Bavaria's Prime Minister

(CSU) supports the Italian advance.

“If we want to keep borders open, we also need a clear agreement on

.

Otherwise it will be a difficult development, ”he said on Tuesday in Munich.

Anyone who goes skiing in risk areas has to be in

ten days

.

"I would prefer we would have a uniform agreement at European level: no ski lifts open anywhere or no vacation anywhere."

Corona-off for ski holidays?

Italy calls for a Europe-wide ban - Austria reacts vehemently

First report from November 24th:

Munich / Vienna - How

Christmas be celebrated

in the

?

Will winter vacations be possible?

Question after question is piling up as many parts of Europe struggle with the second wave of coronavirus *.

The number of new infections * is increasing in many places or is staying at a high level.

Despite many restrictions, there still does not seem to be any reason to give the all-clear.

On Wednesday (November 25th) Angela Merkel and the country bosses will meet to decide on further corona measures.

Germany's neighboring countries

and

particular are struggling with the pandemic.

The subject of

is hotly debated there.

Coronavirus: Conte is clouding prospects for winter holidays and Christmas - "not possible"

"It is not possible

to allow

a

, we cannot afford it," said Italy's Prime Minister

in an interview with the television station

.

The prospects for a winter vacation and a normal Christmas have clouded Conte.

Italy is therefore aiming, in coordination with German Chancellor Angela Merkel * (CDU) and France's President

a

for the gradual opening of the ski areas.

According to media reports, there is agreement among the heads of government that uncoordinated and too fast openings like in the summer would be a mistake.

Conte wants to

keep

closed

view of the Corona * pandemic

.

The Italian regions also called for at least a transnational regulation.

, said the President of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia, in an interview with the newspaper

(Tuesday).

Corona: ski areas closed until January 10th?

- "If the EU wants that, it has to pay for it"

Austria

, which has been emphasizing for months that it wants to open the ski areas with appropriate precautions at any price, responded on Tuesday with vehement rejection.

The country is currently in a "hard lockdown".

“If the EU actually stipulates that the ski resorts must remain closed, then that means costs of up to two billion euros.

said Austria's Finance Minister

on Tuesday.

Coronavirus in Austria: "If ski areas have to remain closed ..."

“In

, we set up a revenue replacement in the shortest possible time for all those areas that we officially closed.

If ski areas have to remain closed, then the EU has to provide compensation for skiing outages, ”said Blümel.

If they are closed for three weeks, the Austrian ski resorts alone are expected to lose 2.4 billion euros in sales.

80 percent of sales, as received by

closed companies

in

because of the

, means payments of around 2 billion euros, his ministry justified the bill.

Meanwhile, a doctor sharply criticized the Merkel government's measures during the corona pandemic.

List of rubric lists: © picture alliance / Silas Stein / dpa