Swiss impose new Covid regulations but Valais canton exempt

Ski resorts and hospitality businesses in the Valais to remain open despite Swiss crackdown announcement

Today, the Swiss federal government announced strict new measures to help reduce the rate of Covid-19 in the country that includes the closure of hospitality businesses such as restaurants, bars, museums, sport centres, spas, casinos, cinemas and theatres.

These measures will come into force on Tuesday December 22 and last for one month, ending on January 20.

But the Valais canton has been allowed to make their own decision based on the Reproduction Rate (R Rate), which is currently lower than other areas of the country. This means ski resorts in the Valais, including Crans-Montana, will remain open for skiing, and restaurants and bars can also remain open, with a mandatory 10pm closing time.

The R rate in the Valais is currently recorded at 0.97, below the threshold of 1 and if the rate increases past 1, then the federal rules imposed will need to be implemented.

Pierre-Henri Mainetti, Sales Director of Crans-Montana wrote:"The strict implementation of the measures during November until December 14 has helped Valais to be in a more favourable situation than other areas of Switzerland. Never the less we need to stay ultra-vigilant now to ensure this remains the case. Our wish is that our visitors can enjoy the mountains in the best conditions. To this end, compliance with the measures is an absolute priority and we can only encourage everyone to show the greatest discipline at all times. This is only way for everyone to keep enjoying their holidays in Crans-Montana"

Further information about the new Covid regulations can be found here: www.crans-montana.ch/en/coronavirus

As well as an R number of below 1 the 7-day incidence must be below the Swiss average. Currently the Swiss 7-day incidence is 348 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and the incidence Valais is 225.

As the reduction in the numbers was largely achieved by closing the bars and restaurants its likely that they will have to close again soon, especially if there is a large influx of skiers from other cantons.

Currently the ski areas in cantons Berne, Valais and Vaud fulfil the criteria to remain open after 22. December. The ski areas in cantons Appenzell-Innerrhoden, Luzern, Nidwalden, Obwalden, St. Gallen, Schwyz, Uri, Zug and Zürich do not and will close on 22. December. Canton Graubünden will decide on whether its ski areas are to remain open over Christmas on Monday.

Sadly, skiing in Switzerland is not going to be possible for most British skiers after 31.12. 2020 as UK passport holding tourists won't be allowed to enter Switzerland.

https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/sem/aktuell/faq-einreiseverweigerung.html#-1876973079 This is likely to stay in place until the UK incidence falls below 60 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

Sadly, skiing in Switzerland is not going to be possible for most British skiers after 31.12. 2020 as UK passport holding tourists won't be allowed to enter Switzerland.

Thanks for the details update - I would do the little 'Like' icon but with all the bad news, especially the above, it doesn't seem right! Although good to be informed. It seems to be getting super complicated in Switzerland and many other countries. I saw Andermatt post last night you can't enter their ski area from the Uri side and Gemsstock closed but you can from Sedrun (in another canton?) and 2/3 of total area still open!

I agree, a 'like' in the current situation would be wholly inappropriate. Switzerland's federal structure sometimes makes things much more complicated than they probably need to be, but as one of my Singaporean skiing friends said last week its "the price of democracy".

Sedrun is in canton Graubünden / Grisons, the cantonal government there will decide on whether its ski areas are to remain open over Christmas tomorrow. In order to get the numbers down Graubünden closed all the bars, restaurants on 4. December, they may have waited too long. The last reported R-value (30.11.2020) was 1.13 and the 7-day incidence for week 50 was 406.

Due to the discovery of a more infectious strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the UK the closure of the border could well be brought forward, Belgium, Holland and Italy seem have closed their borders to people traveling from the UK today.

News of the mutated strain has reached Verbier, 21% of Verbier's skiers come from the UK. A meeting will be held tomorrow to discuss the situation. https://www.blick.ch/schweiz/briten-hotspot-verbier-vs-ist-beunruhigt-und-beruft-krisensitzung-ein-bringen-die-englaender-das-mutierte-virus-zu-uns-id16256938.html

Canton Graubünden has decided that the ski areas in the canton will remain open over the Christmas holidays, provided that the epidemiological situation and hospital capacities do not change significantly. The situation will be assessed on a daily basis.

To ensure that the hospitals are not overloaded, the serving and consumption of alcohol in the ski areas will be prohibited.

The Federal Council has decided all persons who have entered Switzerland from the UK since 14 December must go into quarantine for 10 days. https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases/media-releases-federal-council.msg-id-81777.html

Earlier today the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health sent a a push notification to every UK / South African phone in CH. The persons contacted were informed that all travellers from the UK or South Africa who came to Switzerland on or after December 14 2020 are to self-isolate for 10 days.

Those contacted were requested not to leave their room or where they are staying and to avoid all contact with other people. If the order is not complied with, a fine of up to CHF 10,000 could be imposed.

This afternoon the Federal Office of Civil Aviation announced a "Temporary derogation from the flight ban for connections between Switzerland, the UK and South Africa", this will enable persons resident in the UK and South Africa currently in Switzerland, and persons resident in Switzerland currently in those two countries to return home to return home for Christmas.

https://www.uvek.admin.ch/uvek/en/home/detec/media/press-releases.msg-id-81814.html

What do people think about the headlines from yesterday eve re the UK skiers who dissapeared at night to avoid quarantine? It made me feel a little ashamed tbh as I think we have some work to do on ski PR after a lot of people blame the Ischgl incident for spreading Covid. It also looks a little like entitled rich skiers in Verbier believe they are above the law. I really hope there is more to this story, I hate to see us put in a bad light like this. Here's the guardians take: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/27/hundreds-uk-tourists-flee-covid-quarantine-swiss-ski-resort-verbier

SkiYetiMagic wrote:What do people think about the headlines from yesterday

Whilst certainly not condoning anyone who did flout the law, it's best to be pretty sceptical about the headline claims in the media. "trial by media" gets clicks and makes them money...

It'll be difficult to get a true account of what's happened but I'd doubt the numbers claimed.

Firstly, there are a lot of Brits in Verbier, there for the season and resident, and I've see on social media that some of them have already been challenged as to their (entirely legal) presence on the mountain. Secondly, the "identifying" of tourists has included sending texts to UK-registered mobiles recently present in Switzerland and I know one of our contributors (who may be along shortly?) received his text (telling him to quarantine) in UK despite having returned from Switzerland a few days before the quarantine was announced.

I'm sure that the Swiss authorities, being generally pretty efficient, will have a reasonable idea who they'd like to talk to but media headlines are rarely a reliable source of truth!