Why people working snowy slopes may be at greater risk of catching COVID than skiers
Fresh air and speed make skiing and snowboarding low-risk activities for COVID-19 transmission, but Canadian infectious disease doctors say spread can still happen, and outbreaks reported at larger resorts have affected mostly staff members.
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Activity of skiing is relatively safe from a transmission standpoint, but experts say spread can still happen
The Canadian Press ·
Posted: Feb 17, 2021 12:23 PM ET | Last Updated: February 17
Ski and snowboarders are pictured on the opening day of Cypress Mountain ski resort in West Vancouver, B.C., last November. The risk of outdoor spread of coronavirus remains quite low, except for situations of crowding, infectious disease physicians say.(Ben Nelms/CBC)
Melissa Couto Zuber
People snowshoe at the foot of the shutdown slopes of Blue Mountain Ski Resort in The Blue Mountains, Ont., Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. Ski hills re-opened in Ontario on Tuesday, joining other mountainous resorts across the country that have remained operational through the winter. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston February 16, 2021 - 1:00 AM
Fresh air, blazing speed and spacious alpine terrain makes skiing and snowboarding low-risk activities for COVID-19 transmission, infectious disease doctors say.
But the threat is never zero during a global pandemic, they add. And people working those snowy slopes may be at greater risk of catching the virus than those dashing down them.
Skiing and snowboarding outdoors are considered low-risk activities for COVID-19 transmission, but the people working those snowy slopes may be at greater risk of catching the virus than those dashing down them.
Case counts are falling, and provinces have begun opening up. But experts warn that more contagious strains like B.1.1.7 could soon dominate and lead to another huge spike.