Problem for vacationers! 8000 events at the ski resort, 1000 Dutch people affected

Omigron makes everything difficult for Austrian tourism. Now industrialists are worried about winter – some are calling for a new corona lock.

Flachau / Salzburger Land – With over 7,500 counts, the Austrian Flachau Sky area is currently experiencing an incredible event when you first hear it. In the mayor’s opinion, this would turn out to be very plausible – but they also highlight tourism-related problems. Corona–International spread.

Because, according to Thomas Oberwright, the city of 3,000 people currently has between 15,000 and 16,000 people: tourists and tourism staff. According to him, they do 60 percent of the time Corona cases Out. But: he told the APA news agency that not even one of the approximately 230 victims is currently receiving medical treatment. “Half of the victims, usually young people, are asymptomatic.”

Second, experiments are being carried out extensively in Flachau – the second reason for the high incidence, Oberreiter believes. “We have our own testing center where we can continuously test many who have been cured or vaccinated – for example all ski instructors.”

The corona variation poses major obstacles to the Omikron tourism industry

Testing will only solve some problems. The construction of some lodges does not allow guests to be kept at a good distance from each other. “We need to take preventive measures here,” said Christian Stock (ÖVP), the APA’s health official. “Unfortunately, we have no experience of how high the demand will be. We prepared two hotels in isolated quarters last year, but not the season after that.

The Austrian Health Fund (ÖGK) has opposed the idea of ​​converting a spa center for tourists who have tested positive. She needed the building for rehabilitation cases. “We want to finalize 70 to 80 units this week, where we can accommodate those affected by the holiday in January and February,” Stackle said.

A large number of staff are in isolation and are unable to operate the affected hotels. “If we do nothing now, there will be a practical lock-in anyway, and this system will already collapse,” said Christian Harish, president of the APA’s Kidsbuhel Tourism Association. Skiing schools are also in emergency operation. “So it is important to reduce the isolation period or – if there are no symptoms – cancel it altogether,” he says.

Omigron in tourism and ski areas: The number of unregistered cases is high

Of course it does not look like this only on Flachau. This number is increasing, especially in the provinces of Tyrol and Salzburg, which are popular with tourists. In this context this “story” seems strange: 964 Dutch people tested positive at the beginning of the year when they returned from vacation in Austria. According to the news website NL Times. The Netherlands Areas are currently considered to be highly contagious in Austria, but isolation does not apply to those who have been vaccinated three times (i.e. with) Booster), The report says.

One has to take on a certain number of unregistered cases anyway. Many guests are not even allowed to inspect themselves to avoid an isolation. If they do, they will be isolated in their room – or they will drive home without stopping. In theory. “But there are many cases where this is not so easily possible,” Stockle said. Because of all this, the personal voices of the tourism industry are now calling for a quick and short lock-in to save at least the remaining winter.

Corona in Austria: Federal and state governments to discuss January 6

Again the infection goes inside the arch Austria Overall vertically upwards. On January 5, nearly 9,800 cases were registered in a single day, more than twice as many as a week earlier. In the normal and intensive care units the condition was initially stable.

One of the most contagious Omigron variant The virus has been dominating the infection process in the Alpine Republic since the end of this year. The federal and state governments will discuss the current situation on January 6. Ours News ticker for the Corona Summit in Austria Then constantly updated. (frs)