Another corona infection occurred in the “Kitzloch” ski resort in Ischgl, which became notorious due to the mass infections in March 2020. The Austrian authorities announced on Monday that a service employee had tested positive for the virus.
The person concerned had felt symptoms since December 25th and last worked in the “Kitzloch” on December 24th. According to a report by the APA news agency, the state of Tyrol publicly called on all people who were in the bar on December 23 or 24 for a PCR test “as a precaution and to be on the safe side”.
“The next wave of Ischgl is rolling?” Said the chairman of the consumer protection association, Peter Kolba, worried. In a statement, according to the APA, he also asked why people had to be asked to test publicly, although registration of all guests was actually mandatory. “Hasn’t a guest registration been carried out in Kitzloch?”
In contrast to 2020, according to the currently applicable regulations, après-ski bars are not allowed to be used in bars. In Austria, guests are only served at their seats. The catering staff must wear FFP2 masks, as must guests on the way to the tables. Access is only granted to those who have been vaccinated or have recovered.
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In Ischgl and other Tyrolean winter sports locations, more than 6,000 people from 45 countries are said to have contracted the corona virus in March 2020. 32 of the infected died. Ischgl became one of the first corona hotspots in Europe. Many of those affected and their bereaved families accuse the responsible authorities of making serious mistakes in dealing with the outbreak.
Right at the beginning of the mass infections on March 7, 2020 in the “Kitzloch” a bartender tested positive for the corona virus. According to internal records, an officer from the Tyrolean Medical Association then warned that further cases were to be expected. A little later, however, the state of Tyrol sent a press release in which it said: “A transmission of the virus to the guests of the bar is rather unlikely from a medical point of view”.
An independent commission of experts stated in a report in October 2020 that at the beginning of the pandemic, staff in the “Kitzloch” had continued to work despite flu symptoms. Authorities have downplayed the situation, the report said.
Only a few days later, Austria’s then Chancellor Sebastian Kurz put Ischgl under quarantine and called on thousands of tourists to leave within a few hours – which triggered chaotic conditions. Many people are said to have only contracted the corona virus in the crush of departure. (AFP, dpa)
