European skiers are facing a bleak holiday season as countries shut resorts and impose other restrictions to slow the spread of the pandemic.
Some states have called for a continent-wide shut-down. Others have resisted and found a way to give people some time on the slopes. Below is an overview of the situation in some of the main skiing centres.
AUSTRIA
Resorts can reopen from Christmas Eve onwards, but Austria has made skiing holidays very difficult by keeping hotels and other tourist accommodation closed until Jan. 7. Quarantines have been extended to deter foreign visitors. The rules essentially limit skiing to locals who can get close enough for a day-trip.
FRANCE
Resorts are closed until the end of the year at least. Authorities will make random border checks to deter people from travelling to slopes in Switzerland and Spain.
GERMANY
Ski lifts as well as tourist hotels, restaurants and bars are closed until Dec. 20. Chancellor Angela Merkel has been pushing for tougher and longer restrictions across the country and Europe.
GREECE
All slopes and skiing facilities are closed.
ITALY
All ski resorts are closed under a tough package of restrictions also including bans on midnight mass and travel between regions over the Christmas period.
SWITZERLAND
Ski resorts will remain open for domestic tourism. Ski lifts, trains, gondolas and other enclosed transport will be limited to two-thirds capacity from Dec. 9. After Dec. 22, ski resorts will need local authority approval to remain open.
SPAIN
Catalonia’s public ski resorts, which had planned to open after a Dec. 8 holiday, will remain shut until the region relaxes restrictions. Privately-owned ski slopes have not yet decided whether to open.
POLAND
Ski slopes will remain open for locals only. Operators must follow a strict sanitary regime to ensure the safety of both skiers and workers.
(Reuters)
