The Italian ski season starts. While awaiting the decisions on the ban on travel between Regions - which will probably be extended in the coming days - the lifts can finally open, following strict rules aimed at ensuring the distance and safety of workers and skiers.
The restart has been set for 15 February and, barring sudden about-faces (which, however, shouldn't happen), skiing can start again from Monday.
SKI: REGIONAL DATES
However, the Regions have set different dates. In detail:
- February 15: Lombardy, Piedmont and Abruzzo;
- February 17: Trentino (except for the Autonomous Province of Bolzano);
- February 18: Valle d'Aosta.
No certain date for the Veneto, which should decide in the next few hours: “We are preparing the ordinance for the reopening of the ski lifts, but we must have confirmation whether it opens or not. There is a pronouncement from the national CTS but it must be translated into a government provision”, said the president of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia.
However, they will not be able to reopen the plants in yet South Tyrol, which will remain in the red zone at least until February 28th.
SKIING: THE RULES TO BE RESPECTED
Generally speaking, according to the protocol approved by the CTS, the cable cars will only be able to operate in the yellow regions, while the lifts will have to set limits on capacity. Ski passes are also limited. Obviously, there is an obligation to wear a mask and to respect the distance. On cable cars, cable cars and chair lifts closed with windshield domes, a maximum capacity of 50% must be respected. Open chairlifts can instead be filled to 100%. Capacity limits also for bars, shelters and restaurants.
As per tradition, each Region has established its own rules. In Lombardia, the ordinance signed by the governor Attilio Fontana provides that in each ski resort, the maximum number of daily presences cannot exceed 30% of the total hourly capacity of all the ski lifts, while for ski resorts that have no more than two systems, the maximum number of daily presences is determined as 50% of the total hourly throughput.
In Valle d'Aosta a total limited number of 30 people per day has been established against a maximum limit of 42 set by safety protocols. “Only some districts will be open and not all because in some cases there would be no economic or operational sustainability conditions”, explained the vice president of the Region and councilor with responsibility for skiing, Luigi Bertschy. The Piemonte instead it established that the plants will be able to restart with a capacity of 30%.
MOVEMENTS BETWEEN REGIONS
However, skiing will start only for residents or for the owners of second homes. The State-Regions conference has in fact asked the Government to extend the travel block. To do this, we need a decree law that could arrive as early as tomorrow. "The orientation of the Conference of Regions is to request the extension of the bill that prohibits travel from one Region to another, even for the yellow zone", explained the president Stefano Bonaccini, on the sidelines of the Conference of Regions, adding that in the next few years this orientation will be communicated "to the minister Francesco Boccia who had asked for our opinion during the last State-Regions Conference, as well as to the prime minister in charge, Mario Draghi".
It will be necessary to understand whether the provision will be signed by the outgoing government or by the new government led by Mario Draghi.
(Last update: 17.03 pm on 11 February).
