In Ischgl, Austria, thousands of holidaymakers are said to have been infected with Corona in the spring.
Now a commission of experts has presented its report and found serious errors in crisis management.
Update from October 12, 2020, 2:14 p.m.: It has been
seven months since the Austrian
ski resort Ischgl
suddenly
hit
the headlines
as a
Corona hotspot
due to its
après-ski parties
.
An expert commission has now presented its report on possible
errors in Corona crisis management
in Ischgl.
According to the investigators,
serious mistakes
have been made in the ski resort
.
Commission chairman Ronald Rohrer said on Monday in Innsbruck
that the operation of the ski buses and cable cars was
stopped a day later than necessary
.
Corona outbreak in Ischgl - allegations against quarantine measures by Chancellor Kurz
Errors also happened
when the
quarantine was announced
over the Paznaun Valley.
According to the experts, this order, announced by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on March 13, should have been better prepared.
There were
panic reactions
from the many foreign guests who tried to leave the region at
lightning speed
.
The result: an
uncontrolled departure of
numerous people who would have prevented a meaningful epidemological control.
There was also a
lack
of
immediate information to the tourists
that they should leave over the weekend “staggered and controlled”.
In addition, there was
no evacuation plan
, criticized Rohrer.
On the
other hand, there are
no indications
that
the tourism and cable car industry has
an often-discussed
influence
on the decisions of the authorities
.
Corona crisis management in Ischgl - the investigators rate this as positive
The
commission rated the initial reaction of the authorities after the first cases related to Ischgl became known around March 3rd
as
positive and appropriate
.
Corona hotspot Ischgl - Commission presents report on crisis management
First report from October 12, 2020, 1..07 p.m.
- Innsbruck - The Austrian ski resort Ischgl contributed
to the spread of the coronavirus * in Germany and parts of Europe
with its
après-ski parties
.
Since then, the controversial crisis management has repeatedly attracted criticism.
But what mistakes can those responsible for the Tyrolean ski resort actually be made?
The
report of
an independent commission of
experts is
eagerly awaited
on Monday
.
A total of 53 people were interviewed for the report, including those affected, representatives of the cable car and tourism industries, as well as those responsible at district, state and federal level.
Tyrol is currently one of the corona risk areas classified by the Robert Koch Institute.
Corona hotspot Ischgl: Did those responsible know about the danger earlier?
From the point of view of the critics, the measures such as the
closure of bars
, the ski area and finally the quarantine over the entire Paznaun Valley on March 13th came too late.
The latest research by ORF and the news magazine “Profil” indicated that those responsible
knew of the danger
earlier than previously known
.
The state of Tyrol has
always vehemently rejected
these
claims
.
The Mayor of Ischgl, Werner Kurz, emphasized in an interview with the newspaper “Kurier” (Saturday) that the community had “implemented everything to the best of its knowledge and belief” that the authorities had specified.
Numerous corona infections after après-ski in the "Kitzloch"
In Ischgl on March 7th, a bartender in the "Kitzloch" tested positive.
The next day it became known that 14 sick Icelanders were guests in the “Kitzloch” and three other people who tested positive in Tyrol had stayed in Ischgl.
The bar was officially closed on March 9th.
The next day,
all après-ski bars in town were closed
.
In addition, the end of the ski season was decreed.
On March 13, the valley, which was home to around 8,000 holidaymakers, was quarantined.
Even before the authorities checked the departure of foreign tourists, many guests left the affected towns.
A study by the Medical University of Innsbruck made the
extent of the
spread of the virus in Ischgl
clear.
According to this,
42.2 percent of the Ischgl population had antibodies *
, a worldwide peak.
Consumer protection association represents thousands of infected people - public prosecutor determined
More than 6,000 Tyrol holidaymakers from 45 countries have registered with a consumer protection association that wants to represent the interests of the injured party.
Thousands of corona infections in Europe
are said to be due to people who went on vacation in Tyrol.
The
Innsbruck public prosecutor is
also investigating four suspects for deliberate or negligent endangering of people from communicable diseases.
The commission of experts was not given the task of conducting criminal investigations or
deciding
on
claims
for
damages
from injured parties.
Austria is currently fighting, like many other countries around the world, against increasing numbers of new infections.
The government is said to already have a so-called "shutdown light" in the drawer in order to avoid a loss of control as a result of a second corona wave *.
(va) *
Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.