Despite the corona lockdown, ski lifts and gondolas are open in Austria.
The rush is too big in some winter sports resorts.
Photos cause criticism, now it should be cracked down on.
In
Austria
, ski areas have been open since Christmas under strict Corona conditions.
The Alpine republic wants to take drastic measures against violations.
The Corona * case numbers in Austria are still high despite the lockdown.
Update from January 12th, 12:19 pm
: Winter tourism divides
Austria
.
Ski lifts and gondolas have been open since Christmas, despite the lockdown.
The balancing act between infection protection and the tourism industry is great.
The situation escalated last weekend.
The government in Vienna
even threatened to close the ski areas
(see first report from January 10, 2021)
.
Crowds without distance and masks at some lifts are causing explosives.
The Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) announced on Sunday that the police should ensure compliance with the Corona rules at the ski lifts.
In Styria, however, that was the case the day before.
All hell broke loose in
the
Kreischberg
ski area on
Saturday morning.
The state of Styria announced that a "major congestion" developed at the valley station in the lift area around 9 am.
The police blocked all entrances to the
ski area
.
Police officers on site had "repeatedly pointed out the corona measures and compliance with them by means of loudspeaker announcements and personal address," according to a statement from the state police department.
The so-called "Alpine Police" were therefore already on duty from 8.15 a.m. before the ski lifts opened at 8.30 a.m.
At 11 a.m., the situation at the valley station relaxed and the traffic jam cleared.
The so-called upper limit for guests in the ski area is 4000 people.
At 12 noon, around 2,500 winter sports enthusiasts were on the Kreischberg.
Corona in Austria: "Catastrophic pictures from the ski areas" - Kurz-Minister now threatens with consequences
First report from January 10, 2021
Vienna - It's a bit paradoxical.
Curfew and skiing hardly go together.
In
Austria
, gondolas and lifts are open in some winter sports locations.
However, distance and the wearing of
FFP-2 masks
is not observed everywhere.
Lift operators are now threatened with drastic measures
.
More controls by the health authorities, also with the support of the
police,
should ensure compliance with the
corona rules
.
In the worst case scenario, lift operators face a complete ban.
The Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) and Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) announced this on Sunday, reports the ORF.
If necessary, the lift operation can also be stopped
Austria's Interior Minister Karl Nehammer
"If necessary, the lift operation can also be stopped," said Nehammer in a message.
Nehammer wants to act
rigorously
"
against black sheep among the lift operators
" together with the health authorities.
"You must not profit from your irresponsibility," said the Minister of the Interior, according to ORF.
The general director for public security had instructed all state police departments to support the health authorities with full force by increasing the police presence.
"Yesterday we received some
catastrophic pictures from some ski areas again
, and I am urgently warning of another rush this Sunday," said the new Minister of Health, Anschober, as
reported by
standard.at
.
Coronavirus in Austria - "No understanding for 'black sheep' in winter sports areas
Austria's
Minister of Tourism Elisabeth Köstinger
(ÖVP) also calls for tough action in the event of violations: "If there are repeated pictures of individual ski areas where safety concepts are not implemented and measures are not adhered to, then the authorities have to take tough action in such cases."
+
Corona in Austria: skiing despite lockdown (symbol photo).
© Helmut Fohringer // APA / dpa
“A large part of the ski areas and ski lift operators” do everything “to implement safety measures and concepts down to the last dot”, Köstinger said in a statement on Sunday.
The Minister of Tourism appeals to winter sports enthusiasts and operators to adhere to the rules.
She has no understanding for “black sheep”.
As early as December, the opening of the ski resorts in Austria under the strict conditions such as wearing an FFP2 mask caused debate.
But even in Germany, ski areas were overrun despite the lockdown.
Coronavirus: The current situation in Austria
In Austria, the
corona infection numbers are
"still significantly too high," said the Minister of Health, Anschober, on Sunday.
1,651 new infections and 36 deaths have been recorded in the past 24 hours.
According to the health authorities, the number of active corona cases is currently 20,250.
The 7-day incidence is 170.3, the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) announced (as of January 10, 2 p.m.).
Corona infections in Austria distributed across the federal states (as of January 10, 2 p.m.)
Burgenland: 52
Carinthia: 119
Lower Austria: 369
Upper Austria: 201
Salzburg: 180
Styria: 190
Tyrol: 115
Vorarlberg: 93
Vienna: 332
(ml) * Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital network