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Glungezerbahn in the Tux Alps (Tyrol): Only vaccinated in the gondola
Photo: Michael Kristen / kristen-images.com / IMAGO
Until recently, it seemed as if winter sports holidays would be possible again this year without far-reaching measures.
But the fourth wave of corona infections is rolling, and massive in Austria and Bavaria.
What do skiers have to adjust to now?
Which rules apply in the Alpine countries?
How is the situation?
According to the authorities, the seven-day incidence
in
Austria
was 838 on Monday. The nationwide corona lockdown for unvaccinated and unhealthy people has been in place since Monday: They are only allowed to use their apartment for grocery shopping, work or training, visits to the doctor and for leave physical rest.
The lockdown is to be controlled by a »close-knit network«, as Interior Minister Karl Nehammer announced.
In
Italy
, the seven-day incidence on Monday was 86. This is also due to the vaccination rate, it is around 84 percent and thus a lot higher than in Austria, Switzerland and Germany.
In
Switzerland
the incidence was 248 and in
France
104 (as of Monday).
Bavaria
reported a value of 530 on Monday, whereby the value according to the last survey was 953.2 for unvaccinated and 97.6 for vaccinated.
What do I have to consider when traveling to and from the country?
When entering
Austria
, a 3G certificate must be presented. Since Sunday, the country has been a
high-risk area
- with the exception of the communities of Mittelberg and Jungholz and the Rissal in the municipal area of Vomp and Eben am Achensee - the Foreign Office has therefore issued a travel warning. Anyone who has not been vaccinated or has recovered must be in quarantine for at least five (with a negative test) or ten days after returning from vacation to Germany. In the case of children under the age of twelve, the quarantine ends after five days even without proof. In addition, a corona test is mandatory for unvaccinated people before returning home, all holidaymakers must submit a digital entry registration.
Anyone
driving
across the border into
Switzerland
or
Italy
must have registered in advance using an online form.
3G proof is also required - in Switzerland only for people over 16 years of age, in Italy over six years.
For
France,
vaccination-recovery-tested evidence is sufficient, unvaccinated children from the age of twelve must have a corona test.
Before returning to Germany from these countries, only those who have not been vaccinated over the age of twelve have to have a corona test.
The Federal Foreign Office provides up-to-date information on entry requirements in the travel and safety information.
Which rules apply to vacationers in the ski areas?
In Austria, the 2G rule ("vaccinated, recovered") applies in accommodation establishments, catering establishments as well as ski huts and cable cars. Children under the age of twelve do not have to present a vaccination certificate, there are still no regulations for young people from abroad between the ages of 12 and 15, Austrians can present their so-called »ninja pass«. Corona test certificates no longer allow access. FFP2 masks must be worn when shopping and in museums.
Stricter measures also apply in the federal states of Salzburg and Upper Austria.
For example, it should be compulsory to wear a mask at Advent markets, and alcohol is not allowed, and a mask is also required for indoor events.
According to the discussion, the 1G rule (vaccinated) could also be introduced in restaurants across the country, depending on the situation in hospitals.
Holidaymakers can also have themselves tested free of charge on the official test roads of the “Austria tests” initiative.
more on the subject
Opening, prices and news in the Alpine ski areas: Where's the way down? By Hans-Werner Rodrian
Ski season start under Corona conditions: snow cannons should spray disinfectants by Nils Klawitter, Anton Rainer and Claus Hecking
Cross-country skiing in Germany: off on the track
In
Switzerland
, a mask is required nationwide in public transport and in shops. For example, masks must be worn in the closed cable cars and mountain railways, as well as in the queuing area when it is in buildings, and it should be tight there. Anyone who wants to eat inside restaurants, ski huts or hotels must show a vaccination card from the age of 16. No vaccination is required for overnight stays in hotels, but it is in mountain huts. The 3G rule for cable cars only applies in a few places.
In
Italy
, the 3G rule applies to everyone over the age of twelve - both in closed cable cars and in hotels and restaurants. Proof is provided by the EU's digital Covid certificate. A mask must be worn in gondolas and chair lifts from the age of six.
France
has introduced a mask requirement from the age of eleven for closed lifts and queues in front of lifts and gondolas. 3G should only apply there if the incidence is seven days or more, but it has not yet reached that point. In hotels and restaurants, there is already a 3G proof requirement (for everyone from the age of twelve and two months). From mid-December, people aged 65 and over are only considered fully vaccinated if the last vaccination was not more than six months ago or if they have a booster vaccination.
In Germany
, the rules of the federal states apply.
For example
, the 2G rule
applies at the Zugspitze in
Bavaria
, where the ski season starts on November 19, and FFP2 masks must be worn in the lifts.
In
Baden-Württemberg
- for example on the Feldberg - it is called 2G-plus: that is, vaccinated, convalescent and children up to 17 years of age who may have to show their student ID, as it is assumed that they are tested regularly.
There is no mask requirement and distance regulation.
Conclusion:
Those who have been vaccinated or recovered can spend their winter sports holiday in all areas relatively undisturbed by Corona measures - but also then in the knowledge that those who have been vaccinated can also infect other people who have been vaccinated with the virus.
For those who have not been vaccinated, the rules are toughest in Austria: apart from the fact that they are currently locked down there, they are also denied access to gondolas, huts and après-ski fun. They would have to evade - should at least the lockdown be lifted - probably on ski and cross-country tours without lift assistance and without hut supply, where in case of doubt they may also appear less infectious. In France, on the other hand, they only need a mask for a lift ride - as long as the number of infections does not skyrocket.
However, since the situation changes from week to week in the countries,
the regulations
should be
checked before starting your holiday
: From what age are children allowed to go to restaurants without a vaccination certificate?
Where does an FFP2 mask have to be worn?
Those who are vaccinated just have to prepare here.
In addition, the measures and rules also differ from ski area to ski area - it starts with the purchase of a ski pass (online or on site?) And extends to the ski school (vaccinated or tested?).
But here too, the following applies: the mountain railway operators provide detailed information on site or on the Internet, and a check in advance will help.