Corona trouble again in the ex-hotspot Ischgl - Now the "Kitzloch" host is expressing himself
Created: 12/29/2021, 4:58 PM
From: Kai Hartwig
There is another corona problem in the popular ski resort of Ischgl.
A bar comes back into focus.
The authorities warn vacationers, the landlord defends himself against it.
Ischgl - At the beginning of 2020, the coronavirus also spread across Europe.
At that time, Ischgl was considered a super spreader location.
The place in Austria, which is particularly popular with winter sports tourists, is an après-ski stronghold - and became a corona hotspot at the beginning of the pandemic.
Numerous ski fans celebrated without distance, masks or other restrictions, as if the corona risk did not exist.
The consequences were dramatic: many vacationers in Ischgl became infected with the corona virus.
As tourists from all over Europe traveled to the Austrian winter sports resort, when they returned they (often ignorant) spread the insidious virus in many countries.
Ischgl: Employees of the après-ski bar "Kitzloch" infected with Corona - authorities react
There were also many new corona infections in the "Kitzloch" in 2020.
In the winter season 2021/22, the après-ski bar was allowed to reopen, but under strict conditions.
It is compulsory to wear a mask away from your own seat, access is only granted to those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered.
Food and drinks must also be consumed while sitting.
But all efforts obviously did not help, at the end of December 2021 an employee of the restaurant was infected with the corona virus, but not with Omikron.
The "Kitzloch" in Ischgl has to cope with another corona case.
© Karl-Josef Hildenbrand / dpa
The local authorities are alarmed.
On Monday (December 27th), the state of Tyrol called on all people who visited the “Kitzloch” on December 23rd or 24th to avoid crowds for two weeks.
In addition, those affected should wear an FFP2 mask for this period of time when they come into contact with other people.
Ischgl: "Kitzloch" host Zangerl fears missing guests and senses "political reasons"
"Kitzloch" host Bernhard Zangerl apparently thinks little of the public authorities' call for "quarantine light".
“Of course you wanted it differently.
The whole media world is now looking at 'Kitzloch' and Ischgl again, "commented Zangerl on
the corona case in his team at
RTL
.
"That is of course not nice at the moment, because you want to take care of the guests."
The restaurateur feared that this would put off potential guests.
“We also want to communicate that we enable a safe stay with us, that we adhere to the rules, that we implement all of this exactly,” said Zangerl defiantly.
His employees are all vaccinated against the corona virus and also have themselves tested regularly.
The fact that the Corona case in the "Kitzloch" became public bumps the landlord bitterly.
“We did what we were told.
We have passed on the contact details.
That is why it is simply unfair by the authorities and politicians that we are pilloried, ”said Zangerl, feeling that he was being treated unfairly.
He sensed "political reasons or reasons that we cannot understand" behind the public appeal by the state of Tyrol.
Ischgl: Tourism boss counters allegations of the "Kitzloch" host - in 2020 the local acted questionably
The tourism association Paznaun-Ischgl does not want to leave the harsh accusations of the "Kitzloch" host.
"We are fully behind the steps now required by the health authorities and actively support the public call for people who have been in the affected catering establishment during the period mentioned," said its boss Alexander von der Thannen.
The Ischgl region cannot afford another superspreader event like the one in 2020.
At that time, there were allegations against authorities and tourism associations that the situation had been deliberately played down.
The events were officially investigated, and in October 2020 an independent commission of experts came to the conclusion that at the beginning of 2020, some of the staff in the "Kitzloch" had continued to work despite flu symptoms.
The authorities also did not take the situation seriously and rather downplayed it, the report said.
(kh)
