Swiss Ski Lifts Are Allowed To Run Again From June 6th
There is a green light for Swiss ski lifts after a standstill of almost three months. The Federal Council has decided on the third easing phase. This means that the cable cars can start operating again from June 6, 2020, coupled with appropriate protective measures for guests and employees. A foundation of Swiss cable cars is available to the railway companies for the company's own protection concept. The measures are strongly based on the protection concept of public transport.
Nothing has been going on in the ski lifts since mid-March: the Federal Council had ordered the company to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Today, the state government has given the green light for the resumption of mountain railway operations from June 6, 2020 - as part of the third relaxation phase.
Start of operations: Consult the web sites of the railways
You can find out when the individual ski lifts will start again from the operators’ websites. Because the cable cars have always started the summer season on different dates. Some lifts will therefore open on June 6th, others are still under revision and will start operating in the following weeks. Most of the summer ski lifts will run again during the holiday season.
Protective measures for guests and employees
Appropriate protective measures for guests and employees are a prerequisite for the start of operations. The Swiss Ropeways Association (SBS) therefore provides its members with a basis for the protection concept. On this basis, the cable car companies can create their own concept, possibly with company-specific additions. In any case, the individual companies are responsible for the protection concept.
The protection concept basis of SBS is strongly based on the measures of public transport. Accordingly, for example, as in public transport, there is no general capacity restriction for cable cars; however, if the required minimum distance between people cannot be maintained, an urgent protective mask recommendation applies, as recommended by the Federal Office of Public Health.
"Our goal is to ensure that guests and employees are well protected thanks to the protective measures," said Sepp Odermatt, interim director of SBS. In the mountains, people are mostly in the fresh air anyway and the ride on a cable car takes only a few minutes - so the guests could really enjoy the trip without any worries, says Odermatt. To underline this, SBS supports the “Clean & Safe” campaign launched by Switzerland Tourism
Very difficult phase for tourism - but also trump card
In the cable car industry, they are extremely happy that the officially ordered standstill has now been lifted, because the loss of earnings was enormous. The extrapolation of the industry association puts the failure at over CHF 330 million. "The railway companies are now looking forward to many guests, especially from Switzerland, but hopefully soon from abroad," says Sepp Odermatt. Guests from the distant markets, however, are hardly to be expected this year.
The mountain railway industry is in a very difficult situation. With the coming winter, which is three times as important in terms of sales as summer, the nail test is still to come. "Now, regionally well coordinated forward strategies are required, but also persistence and flexibility," said the SBS director. Because it will take some time before the ski lifts are economically at the level they were before the corona crisis. Nevertheless, Odermatt remains optimistic: «Our country has so much to offer and also plays in the top league when it comes to safety and cleanliness - these are particularly important assets right now.
