«We must open the ski resorts only to vaccinated people following the model of Austria. Yes to the green pass but not with the swab, and vaccine also for children ». Desperate times call for desperate measures. This is the opinion of the president of the National Association of Cable Car Systems (Anef) Valeria Ghezzi, following the growth of infections that worries in view of the opening of the winter season between the end of November and the Immaculate Conception: “It is a hypothesis born in Alto Adige following the Austrian example. I don’t know if it’s practicable in Italy, but I wouldn’t be against it ». And he adds: «I defend the winter season. Now the infections are rising and this is not a good sign. The government must tell us how to proceed with the checks of the green pass: I hope a sample by the police, otherwise it becomes a big problem for us plant engineers. Also for a matter of privacy, given that the expiration date of the vaccination certificate is considered a sensitive data ».
The stop to skiing by decree of March 9, 2020 inflicted deep wounds on the white mountain sector, which in many cases saw turnover drop to zero: from over 10 billion to just over 500 million in the space of a year. «I can only say that another canceled season would definitively kill the mountain economy which, on the other hand, must be safeguarded everything that revolves around it. For us plant engineers, the loss was devastating – says President Anef -. With the ticket office alone, we normally handle 900 million a year. Last winter we stopped at 10 million, mostly thanks to the activity of the ski clubs and national athletes, the only ones who were able to ski. The fact is that we – like many other operators – already invest in the summer to prepare the slopes and hire staff. We make a mountain of debts to be ready to leave: if the mountain does not open, it is a huge damage. And the indemnities, already approved by the support decree, we have not yet seen. There is a promise from the government: we hope it will be kept ”.
Currently, the protocol for safe skiing proposed in September by the trade associations and approved by the Regions (but not yet definitively by the government) provides for the mandatory green pass – except for children under 12 -, the use of goggles on cable cars , cable cars and closed spaces and the reduction of capacity to 80% of the ski lifts. But given the progressive increase in infections throughout Europe, with the specter of the fourth wave of Covid upon us, the guidelines may not be sufficient to avert yet another stop to the ski season. «The vaccinated cannot pay for the no-vaxes – explains Valeria Ghezzi -. If this were the case, the message would pass that the unvaccinated are right and it would be right to beat the people who try to work, rather than protect them. I am not yet aware of any ski lift closures but there is a risk ».
On the rest of the Alps, in France currently skiing without a green pass but with a mask worn in the queue and on the impants: however, if the incidence of infections exceeds 200 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, the obligation of a green certificate will be triggered. In Switzerland – like last winter – the green pass is not yet foreseen to access the slopes but only to enter bars, shelters and restaurants. In Austria there is the “two G” rule, meaning ski lifts accessible only to recovered and vaccinated people. In Slovenia the green pass is mandatory.
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