Austria ski resort virus outbreak mishandled, report finds
Local and federal authorities could have contained the spread of a coronavirus outbreak that infected thousands of tourists in two Austrian ski resorts, according to a report published Monday.
“From March 8, a correct assessment should have led to the closing of bars, the stopping of ski lifts and orderly management of departures,” of tourists from Ischgl, a village in the western state of Tyrol, the experts found in a report seen by AFP.
Instead, after a barkeeper in Ischgl tested positive for Covid-19 on March 7, tourists were not informed. Skiing and partying continued for several days until a complete and immediate lockdown of Ischgl and Sankt Anton, a nearby ski resort, were announced on March 13.
Tourists were forced to evacuate within hours, and in the end more than 6,000 people from 45 countries, including Britain, the US and Germany, said they contracted Covid-19 on their holidays.
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