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| - Ski resorts in Spain's Catalonia region that borders France said Friday they will open next week, as a European debate rages over whether such sites should operate during the coronavirus pandemic. "Catalan ski resorts, in agreement with the regional government... have decided to start the ski season on Monday," said the ACEM which represents the region's main ski stations, among them Baqueira Beret, Spain's largest, and Masella. "We will open progressively and gradually with a limit on the sale of ski passes to avoid overcrowding," a statement said. Under Spain's decentralised political system, the regions are largely responsible for imposing their own coronavirus restrictions within national guidelines. Most Spanish ski stations have remained closed because the restrictions on movement between regions has limited the number of customers. In theory, only residents of Catalonia will be able to access the resorts given that the region is partially closed off to people from other parts of Spain although checks are sporadic. European nations remain at odds over whether to allow skiers to hit the slopes over Christmas, over fears that winter sports crowds could help spread Covid-19. France, Germany and Italy failed in their push for an EU-wide ban on ski tourism until early January but will keep winter sports under wraps over the holidays. Austria will open its ski season on December 24 and some Bulgarian ski resorts have already opened. Switzerland, which is not in the EU, has opened its ski resorts as well. France has vowed to conduct random borders checks to stop people crossing into neighbouring countries like Spain and Switzerland to ski. dbh/ds/hmw/wai
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