In the coming winter season, only people with a Covid certificate should receive Swiss mountain railways. However, nothing is fixed yet. The Swiss Cable Car Association is only considering a certificate requirement for ski areas (Blick reported).
Now the Austrians are presenting. In our neighboring country, the so-called 3G rule will apply on the ski slopes in the coming winter sports season. Cable car operators are only allowed to transport people who have been vaccinated, tested or recovered against Covid-19. The government announced this on Monday in Vienna. “Strict rules for a safe winter” – that is the guideline of the government for the winter season.
There will be no distance rules and capacity restrictions for the ski lifts. In closed mountain railways and rooms, however, an FFP2 mask is required.
Further tightening of the screw is possible
Should the utilization of the intensive care units with corona patients increase in the next few months, the rules for unvaccinated winter sports enthusiasts will be tightened. Even a kind of après-ski curfew could be introduced.
“I am convinced that with these framework conditions a carefree, safe winter season in our country,” said Tourism Minister Elisabeth Köstinger at a press conference in Vienna.
But that’s not all: there are currently around 200 intensive care beds in Austria occupied by Covid 19 patients. If the number rises to 300, unvaccinated people are no longer allowed to visit après-ski bars – not even with negative test results. This is what Austria’s Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein says. From this level onwards, cable cars, restaurants and hotels are no longer allowed to accept self-tests.
Do the cable car operators control compliance with the new corona regime? Proof will be required to purchase a mountain railway ticket. Random checks in the company should be carried out by the police.
New infections are stagnating in Switzerland. The number of intensive bed occupancy by corona patients is back. Nevertheless, local mountain railways are already holding talks with the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) to usher in the 3G winter as well. And so to ensure planning security for operators and tourism organizers. How far is the Swiss Cable Car Association in this regard? A request from Blick has not yet been answered.
One Swiss ski area has already announced that it will require a certificate for the winter season: The Fideriser Heuberge in the canton of Graubünden require a certificate for all activities and operations in the entire ski area.