Was Switzerland Right to Keep its Ski Resorts Open? 11th April 2021
Last modified on April 15th, 2021
Switzerland took the controversial decision not to close its ski resorts back in December as other alpine nations shut theirs. It is now the final week of this very different season in the major resorts. We report in-depth from the Valais in Switzerland on how winter unfolded in this exclusive report.
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Switzerland kept its winter sports sector going, leading to accusations that it was putting the economy ahead of lives.
So, what has the ‘Covid season’ been like and to what extent did it protect the mountain sports sector of the Swiss economy?
Photo: Raphael Surmont
On Dec 21, the government announced that all arrivals from the UK since Dec 14 must isolate, bringing holidays to an abrupt halt for around 420 people. By Sunday, fewer than a dozen remained in the Alpine resort.
Rather than stay cooped up in their chalets, they decided to take flight. While some chose to cross the border by train, others left in the dead of night, fearful that hoteliers would report them to police. Britons not subject to the restrictions said they felt they had to speak in hushed tones when out and about to avoid a grilling.
The ensuing chaos prompted a blame game amongst local authorities yesterday (Monday) about who was responsible and whether border controls should have been tighter. Many on social media branded the fleeing Britons selfish and irresponsible, whilst local tourist chiefs rallied around their most important foreign clientele, who comprise 20 per cent of Verbier s winter guests.
Twelve British tourists are being investigated by Swiss police for allegedly escaping a hastily-imposed Covid quarantine.
The skiers were among hundreds of Britons on holiday in the luxury Alpine resort of Verbier when the Swiss government suddenly announced a retroactive 10-day quarantine.
It was reported that many fled the resort, in the canton of Valais, rather than going into lockdown. Hoteliers said some guests left with no warning under cover of darkness.
Among the Britons who fled was top Brexiteer Andy Wigmore, a spokesman for Leave.EU campaign co-founder Arron Banks.
He was holidaying at the Wengen ski resort when he received a message from Swiss authorities informing him of the mandatory quarantine coming into effect on December 22.