“The ski season is approaching. We will be trying to coordinate in Europe whether we could close all ski resorts,” Merkel said, according to Reuters.
Merkel is especially concerned with German citizens traveling to the ski resorts of neighboring Austria.
She is requesting that all members of the EU close their ski resorts to curb the spread of COVID-19. It’s not clear how long she is suggesting ski resort close.
Ischgl, one of Europe’s most popular skiing destinations, was the site of a super-spreader event at the onset of the pandemic. At least 6,000 cases of COVID-19 have been traced to the Austrian ski resort.
Germany has issued travel warnings to ski resorts in Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. Many resorts across the European continent remain closed to the public to date.
As the kids on Tik Tok say, ‘BIG YIKES.’ (or so I’m told)
This news is foreboding for our ski season here in North America. You might recall that when many ski resorts across Europe stopped spinning lifts at the onset of the pandemic, North American resorts quickly followed suit.
It appears Merkel fears that Austria, and Switzerland (not a member of the EU), could be lax on COVID-19 regulations leading to more super-spreader events.
I’m skeptical that COVID-19 would violently spread if the skiers are simply skiing, especially with social distancing regulations and masks. I think the fear is mostly rooted in the Aprés scene.
We’ll keep our eyes on Europe here at Unofficial Networks.