Hoteliers fear lockdown – salzburg.ORF.at
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While the Austria-wide lockdown for vaccinated people is expected to last until December 12th, Salzburg’s hoteliers do not expect to be able to open their businesses after that – but on December 17th at the earliest. That is how long the lockdown in Upper Austria lasts.
There is already more than 80 centimeters of snow in the tourist community of Obertauern. But winter sports fans do not benefit from it. And they won’t benefit from it for a long time. Walter Veit also thinks so – the hotelier from Obertauern and Vice President of the Austrian Hotelier Association does not assume that the accommodation establishments in the state of Salzburg will be able to open on December 13th. Veit suspects that there WILL be a parallel run with Upper Austria: “Since the numbers were even worse than in Upper Austria, we do not expect an unlock on December 13th. But we hope for harmony with Upper Austria. In other words, we can reopen the hotel business on December 17th, ”said Veit.
Haslauer is not yet committed
Upper Austria’s governor Thomas Stelzer announced in advance that his country would remain in lockdown until December 17th. Salzburg’s governor Wilfried Haslauer, on the other hand, left it open. Haslauer’s spokesman Christian Pucher also remains vague on Monday when asked about the end of the lockdown: “In this regard, we are in daily contact with doctors and virologists to define a path for a possible opening. In this respect there will certainly be more clarity next week. “
Next week it will also be decided when the lockdown in Salzburg will end. From the point of view of the industry representative Walter Veit, when & die hotels not only open in Salzburg, but across Austria at least before Christmas.
Veit announces protests should trade be allowed to open in front of the hotel industry
Under no circumstances will it be accepted that trade is allowed to open earlier than hotels die. This has been rumored behind the scenes for days. Veit says: “That is absolutely unacceptable for our industry. We’ve always been late and we don’t know why. With us the numbers have always been low, we kept everything. If that happens again now, we will really take to the streets in protest. So you haven’t seen the hotel industry yet. “
Veit calls for an opening based on the Swiss model
From the point of view of the vice-boss of the hotelier association, it is conceivable that the catering trade will remain closed for the time being if this is necessary for health-political reasons. Switzerland is a role model here: “Last winter, Switzerland showed us that it worked wonderfully: the hotel business is open, the catering industry is closed. The first step has to be to unlock the hospitality industry. There are enough measures in place, everything is being scrutinized. As the AGES study has shown: Only one percent of infections occur in the hotel industry, ”says Veit. The catering should only be opened in a second step. By the way, a closure of the catering industry would also affect itself. He not only runs a hotel in Obertauern, but also a ski hut.