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SKIING

Can Austria’s ski season withstand Omicron’s Covid surge?

Winter tourism is a key part of Austria’s economy, but as Covid-19 cases rise in Salzburg and Tyrol some experts are now calling for a lockdown. What will happen to Austria’s ski season?

Published: 6 January 2022 15:10 CET
A skier wearing a FPP 2 mask stands in front of a warning sign before the cue to board the ski lift in the ski resort Stuhleck
A ski holiday will be considerably more expensive in Austria this year. (Photo by ALEX HALADA / AFP)

Austria’s ski season only recently got off to a promising start with early snowfall and the return of eager tourists. But trouble is brewing already as Covid-19 rates soar.

On Thursday, Infectologist Richard Greil expressed alarm after the number of new cases in Salzburg rose sharply from Tuesday to Wednesday and called for tough measures to reduce the burden on the health system.

Additionally, the Covid Forecast Commission is predicting the seven-day incidence (per 100,000 people) in Tyrol to rise above 3,000 by next week due to the highly contagious Omicron variant.

READ MORE: What changes to Austria’s Covid-19 rules could be announced on Thursday?

For some people, the current situation has echoes of early 2020 when Covid-19 first swept around the world, resulting in the resort of Ischgl in Tyrol becoming a hotspot of infections.

The difference in winter 2022 though is that there are already protective measures in place in ski resorts, such as mask wearing, 2G rules (proof of vaccination and recovery) and police patrols to ensure protocols are being followed.

However, with case rates showing no signs of slowing down, questions are now being asked about how best to handle the Omicron surge and what it means for Austria’s ski season.

What is the situation in the Austrian Alps?

According to latest figures from the Austrian Agency for Food and Health Safety (AGES), the seven-day incidence in Tyrol is 722.1 – well above the national rate of 375.3. Kitzbühel has the highest value at 1,863.9, followed by the Landeck district with 1,238.

In Salzburg, the seven-day incidence rate is even higher at 734.8. The district of St Johann in Pongau has the highest figure at 1,717.6 and Tamsweg is at 1,148.2.

To compare, the incidence rate in Vienna is currently at 505.3 (and growing) and in the former hotspot of Upper Austria, the rate is 249.7. In Vorarlberg (another region in the Austrian Alps), the seven-day incidence is 362.2.

READ ALSO: What rules are in place for winter tourism in Austria?

The situation in the intensive care units in both Tyrol and Salzburg remains stable, although hospitals in Tyrol are reporting a strain on capacity due to skiing-related accidents taking up operating theatre space.

Rohit Arora, Director of the University Clinic for Orthopedics and Traumatology, told ORF Tirol they are treating as many patients from winter sports accidents as they were in pre-corona times.

Additionally, at the time of writing on January 6th, the women’s World Cup night slalom race in Flachau on January 11th in Salzburg had been cancelled.

But organisers in Kitzbühel were still continuing with preparations for the prestigious Hahnenkamm races between January 21st to 23rd.

What are experts and industry leaders saying?

On Wednesday, it was reported that Kitzbühel Tourism Association Chairman Christian Harisch recommended a week-long closure of tourism in Tyrol to allow booster vaccinations to be administered. 

According to Harisch, if no action is taken against the rapidly rising Covid-19 rates in the province, there will be a collapse of the system due to high numbers of people either sick or in quarantine.

FOR MEMBERS: Everything that changes about life in Austria in January 2022

Following the comments, Governor of Tyrol Günther Platter (ÖVP) spoke out against a possible temporary closure or another lockdown and said any further measures would “unsettle the population”, according to the Tiroler Tageszeitung.

Platter said: “These speculations and demands are counterproductive. The new mutation is clearly more contagious. The experts tell us, however, that the course – thank God – will be milder.”

Vienna’s Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) is calling for effective nationwide measures to combat the latest surge and protect the health system, but he did not specify what those measures should be.

Events already affected

The steep rise in Covid rates has already taken its toll on certain high profile events in Austria.

Next week’s women’s World Cup slalom event in Austria will no longer take place in Flachau, in the state of Salzburg because of a surge in Covid-19 cases in the area, the Austrian ski federation announced Thursday.

“Due to the high contamination figures in Flachau, the state of Salzburg has voted against holding the race,” the federation said in a statement.

The federation said it was looking for an alternative venue for the January 11th race.

This is the first event on the skiing calendar to be postponed or cancelledthis winter because of the pandemic and comes less than a month before the start of the Beijing Olympics.

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a soft launch of the new EU border system – the entry/exit (EES) system – on the assumption that it will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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