The suspense ended Tuesday evening during the presidential address: French ski resorts will not open their slopes for the end of the year holidays, given the health risks linked to the Covid-19 epidemic.
"
A consultation has been initiated by the government with local elected officials and professionals but it nevertheless seems to me impossible to envisage an opening for the holidays
", declared Emmanuel Macron, who wishes "
better to favor a reopening in January in good conditions
”.
If the President of the Republic calls for a European decision on the subject, continental coordination does not yet seem to be on the agenda.
Read also: Ski resorts closed at Christmas: “dismay” and “amazement” among mountain professionals
The
Germany
for its part has already drawn a line under the season in Bavaria, southern region of the country whose slopes are particularly popular during the holidays of the year by many German and foreign vacationers.
All stations should remain closed during the December holidays to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“
We just can't have a classic vacation,
” Markus Söder said on Tuesday.
The conservative leader of this region has also pleaded for the establishment of a European agreement to avoid unfair competition.
He notably tried to dissuade the Germans from going to neighboring Austria if it decided to keep its tracks open, reminding them that they would be imposed a 10-day quarantine on their return.
The
Austria
is indeed still considered a risky territory-where the virus circulates activement- by Germany.
A closure of the resorts would therefore aim to avoid "
a second
Ischgl
", named after this Austrian ski resort which, at the beginning of 2020, had made the headlines.
Thousands of tourists were infected there, then contributing to the spread of the virus in Europe.
For now, Austrian stations are closed as part of a national lockdown, which must be lifted on December 7.
But the country has not yet positioned itself for the future.
"
If the European Union forces the ski areas to remain closed, this will result in a loss of 2 billion euros for which it will have to pay,
" said Gernot Blümel, the finance minister, according to an estimate of the month's revenue. December and Christmas holidays.
Read also: In Austria, ski resorts want to save the winter season
Unfair competition
The Andorran resorts (here Grandvalira) have scheduled a reopening on Friday, December 4.
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With 900,000 positive cases for the new coronavirus,
Poland
has decided.
The ski slopes are expected to reopen this winter, but only for locals and during school holidays.
However, Health Ministry spokesman Wojciech Andrusiewicz said he would take measures to limit travel around the country and Poles should not rely on being able to travel to the mountains.
"
The opening of the ski slopes is intended for people living nearby, not those who want to go on vacation,
" he added, adding that hotels and restaurants would remain closed during the holiday period.
In
Italy
, prudence also rules.
The controversial photos of a crowd at the cash desks of the Cervinia resort on the weekend of October 28, prompted the government to lean towards the closure of Italian stations.
"To face
the festivals in the snow without restriction would be irresponsible
", asserted the president of the council, Giuseppe Conte.
As in France, the regions of the Dolomites, Lombardy, Piedmont and Val d'Aosta are classified as red with regard to the circulation of the virus.
Read also: Travel diary in the magnificent mountains of the Dolomites
Simultaneously with the announcement, the Conference of the Regions approved the health protocol defended by the northern provinces to open with a capacity reduced by half in the cable cars and a maximum threshold of skiers per area.
The workers in the sector hope for discussions by December 4, the date of the next decree, on which the official decision will be taken.
In a country where Christmas and the pre-season weigh heavier than in France (40% of winter), a third of the revenue generated each year by Italian ski resorts comes from days spent in the Alps and the Dolomites for the end of year celebrations.
At the same time,
neighboring
Switzerland is
announcing an almost “
open bar
”
Christmas
, both for its nationals and for French travelers.
“
Closure is not an option.
We will eat and ski in the resorts at Christmas
”, assures Christophe Darbellay, president of the Valais Council of State.
The latter says he is ready for the season, with studied health protocols: wearing a mask, distance to respect in queues, gauge applied to ski lifts ... In Valais, the reopening of the bistros is scheduled for mid-December, except health disaster.
"
It is essential that restaurants be able to reopen and that people can warm up between two runs,
" underlines Bruno Huggler, director of Crans-Montana Tourism, excluding take-away as a sustainable solution.
Last but not least, the resorts of the
Principality of Andorra
will open their entire ski area on December 4, including restaurants, bars and hotels.
The only condition, and not the least: that the snow is also part of it.
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Covid-19: in Switzerland, ski resorts redouble their efforts to save the winter season