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| - European countries are at odds over whether to allow skiers to hit the slopes over Christmas, over fears winter sports crowds could help spread Covid-19. Here is a summary of where key players stand: Vienna is opposed to a European ski holiday ban mooted by Germany and France and on Wednesday declared ski lifts would be open on December 24. But hotels, bars and restaurants will remain closed throughout the holiday season. "Our expectation is that we can push the infection rates down... so that we can celebrate a dignified Christmas and so that outdoor sports -- the keyword being skiing -- will be possible," Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said. Austria has more than 2,000 ski lifts driving a 15-billion-euro winter sports industry. Germany, which holds the rotating EU presidency until the end of the year, has sought a bloc-wide suspension of ski breaks till January. The country's skiing capital Bavaria has backed a ban on holidays on the slopes, state premier Markus Soeder saying current infection rates meant "we just can't have the classic ski holidays". He has also warned Germans thinking of crossing into Austria that they would face a 10-day quarantine on returning -- even for day-trips. The shutdown is "catastrophic" economically, said German ski lift federation head Matthias Stauch. After shutting down ski lifts across France, President Emmanuel Macron warned that measures will also be taken to stop skiers from hitting the slopes in neighbouring countries. Winter resorts are free to open over Christmas, the government says, but ski lifts cannot operate until at least January. Mountain holidays are still possible but the closure of lifts in effect rules out downhill skiing. "If there are countries that keep their resorts open, there will be controls to dissuade the French," Macron said. The ski resorts say their survival is at stake with the weeks around Christmas and New Year accounting for up to a quarter of annual revenues. The winter sport sector generates about 11 billion euros ($13 billion) in annual revenue and employs 120,000 people. Cross-country skiing, sledging and hiking are among snow sports that need not require mechanical lifts. The government in non-EU Switzerland has stood united with ski and tourism sectors behind the decision to go ahead with the winter season. "In Switzerland, we can go skiing, with protection plans in place," Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset said. Officials are due to re-examine the situation before the holidays, but in the meantime people are being trusted to respect rules including wearing facemasks everywhere except on the slopes. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte mooted the idea of coordinating with France and Germany for a "common European protocol" to halt ski tourism. But he then told the talk show "Otto e Mezzo": "It's not possible to allow holidays on the snow, we can't afford it." A government decree is awaited shortly on virus restrictions that will apply during the festive season, with reports saying ski lifts and slopes are likely to be shut. Ski resort operators are bitterly opposed, with some warning closure would kill off their entire season. Spain has planned to open ski resorts but the terms still have to be agreed between the central government and the regions, Health Minister Salvador Illa says. In the Pyrenees, the Catalonia region wants to open resorts from December 21, the date curbs preventing people from entering or leaving regions are due to be lifted. Bulgaria has no plans to cancel ski holidays in the country, with all three major resorts -- Bansko, Pamporovo and Borovets -- to open in December. Restaurants across the country are shut till December 21, but hotels and holiday homes are open for business. Brussels has said the decision is a matter for national governments. "The first thing to know is that the decision whether or not to allow skiing is, of course, a national competence. This is not European competence," said commission spokesman Stefan de Keersmaecker. bur-mch/al/bp/jxb
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