COVID-19 UPDATE
COVID-19 UPDATE
LAST UPDATED: 28th July 2020
We want you to feel confident and secure booking your SIA course during these strange times. This post is designed to try and keep our current and future customers up to date with information as it is made available to us and what changes we have put in place to protect our courses and our customers.
We have set up a dedicated email box for any of our current students who require assistance, please use this rather than other email accounts so we can act and respond as quickly as possible during this period – covid19@siaaustria.com
INFORMATION TIMELINE
Monday 27th July 2020
Entry to Austria without the need for a COVID-19 test or quarantine is now possible from the UK and the Austrian Government’s ‘Green List’. The previous requirement for a COVID-19 test or quarantine was removed on 27 July 2020.
Entry to Austria without the need for a COVID-19 test or quarantine is also possible for UK nationals travelling from a country on the Austrian government’s “list of countries where COVID-19 is sufficiently controlled”, who have not travelled outside of these countries in the 10 days before arriving in Austria.
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Saturday 4th July 2020
From 4 July, Austria is exempt from the FCO advice against all non-essential international travel. This is based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks. This means that there is no quarantine measures for UK residents returning from Austria. Most European countries can also travel freely between their home country and Austria without quarantining.
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Friday 26th June 2020
We are pleased to announce that Austria is now fully open, shops, bars, restaurants, hotels and our mountains are already open for the Summer season. Our Winter courses are scheduled to go ahead as planned without compromise.
See you on the slopes!!
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Saturday 16th May 2020
As of 15th May, Austria has only 1,009 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with only 19 of those within the Salzburg Region. In total there has been 628 fatal cases across the country, and whilst tragic, this is a tremendously low figure when compared to surrounding countries and other parts of Europe. This in part thanks to the speed in which the government reacted and also due to the excellent and abundant health care facilities in Austria.
Already, much of the leisure industry in Austria has reopened, including restaurants and shops. From the 29th May the remaining businesses and industries will reopen including schools and gyms. The Kitzsteinhorn Glacier will also open for summer skiing on 29th May with the lifts and gondolas operating from the Maiskogel and Kitzsteinhorn base. This is excellent news, meaning from 1st July Austria as a country will be operating almost business as usual.
From 29th May, Austria is allowing tourism from Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Slovenia and Croatia with other countries to be granted access in due course, which again is positive news and the word from the Government in Austria is that the Summer and Winter Seasons will be open for tourism.
Based on these positive reports, news and low Covid-19 numbers, we have no reason to believe our courses this winter will be negatively affected. The amount of bookings we have received over the past few months would suggest that a lot of people obviously agree with this assessment and we would again like to thank you all for your support.
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Monday 6th April 2020
The Austrian Government issued their exit strategy for the COVID-19 lockdown commencing from 14th April 2020 due to an apparent slowing of the spread of the virus. This offers great encouragement for the winter season and an end to the lockdown.
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Wednesday 25th March 2020
SIA launched our “Not For Profit” courses to allow our affected students to return and finish their course for a minimal cost. This information has been passed to all students affected by the COVID-19 disruption.
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Sunday 15th March 2020
Extensive restrictions are in place throughout Austria, affecting all areas of everyday life. Air travel restrictions are in place between Austria and a number of countries. From 23:59 on 16 March, there will no direct air links between Austria and the UK, Netherlands, Ukraine and Russia. As of midnight on 16 March, there will be no direct air or rail connections from Austria to Spain, France, and Switzerland. There are no direct flights and trains between Austria and Italy. You should contact your tour operator or airline for more information.
Ski resorts close on 15 March in Tyrol, Salzburg and Vorarlberg provinces. Accommodation in the ski resorts will close on 16 March. In Tyrol, the villages of Ischgl, Galtuer, See, and Kappl in the Patznaun Valley, and St Anton am Arlberg are under quarantine for the next 14 days. Tourists will be allowed to leave. In Carinthia, Heiligenblut is under quarantine until 29 March. You should follow the advice of local authorities
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Tuesday 17th March 2020
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all but essential travel to Austria, due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and in line with various controls and restrictions imposed by the Austrian authorities. British nationals in Austria should follow the advice of the Austrian authorities.
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Thursday 12th March 2020
the Austrian Government took the action of closing ski resorts across the country to contain and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The Kitzsteinhorn Area Issued The Following Statement:
On 12 March 2020, the Province of Salzburg decided as a precautionary measure in order to contain and combat the spread of coronavirus to close all mountain lifts in Salzburger Land as of Sunday, 15 March 2020 (last day of operation) in compliance with the Epidemics Act.
The health of our guests, employees and the population at large is our absolute priority and so, with a heavy heart, we will be ending winter season on the Kitzsteinhorn on Sunday, 15 March 2020. Likewise, all lodging establishments will be closed by the authorities as of Monday, 16 March 2020.
We wish to take this opportunity to thank you for the time we have been able to spend together. We hope you have fond memories of your skiing and nature experiences on the Kitzsteinhorn. And of course, we look forward to welcoming you back in the very near future.
What Is COVID-19?
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common across the world. These viruses can cause mild symptoms ranging from a fever and cough to more serious conditions such as severe pneumonia, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
In December 2019, a new strain of coronavirus was discovered which was named COVID-19, it’s an illness that can affect your lungs and airways. People who are over the age of 60 or have underlying health conditions are at a higher risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19, according to data collected by the WHO.
Most people who are young or healthy and who contract the virus don’t get severely ill. But if you have the virus, even if you don’t get that sick, you might come into contact with people who are more at risk — and pass the virus to them. That’s why it’s so important to stay home if you’re not feeling well.
The UK Chief Medical Officers have declared the risk to the public to be moderate. But the risk to individuals remains low. With every passing day, the worlds leading scientific minds are studying and working to create vaccines for the COVID-19 virus, together with our bodies creating natural defences against the virus, the spread should slow and the impact become less and less, but as with other strains of coronavirus’ and flu, it will not go away completely.
What Does This Means For 2019/20 SIA Courses?
All students on courses which are currently running have been notified in resort of the current plan, and we will continue to liaise with you all and assist you with any logistical help you may need. You should contact your resort team with any questions or assistance requests.
April LS1 and LS2 Courses in Kaprun-Zell am See will no longer be running as the resort is closed for the winter season, customers will be contacted by email with full details and full refunds.
We have also released a not-for-profit scheme, which will allow anyone affected by the 2019/20 season resort closures to come back to complete their course at a future date for cost price, details of this will be emailed to affected students as they are finalised in the coming weeks.
We have set up a dedicated email box for any of our current students who require assistance, please use this rather than other email accounts so we can act and respond as quickly as possible during this period – covid19@siaaustria.com
What Does This Means For 2020/21 SIA Courses?
Our next scheduled courses are in Bariloche, Argentina throughout September. These courses are still scheduled to run as normal and have no reason to believe this will change. Should this course not proceed due to COVID-19 resort closures then a full refund will be offered to students enrolled or alternatively, students can transfer to a future course of their choice.
All Winter 2020/21 courses are scheduled to proceed as planned in Austria, Canada, France and Japan as the peak of this new virus is predicted to be over well before the start of the winter season.
Can I Still Book A Course For This Season?
Yes! And you can do so with confidence!
Whilst we do not expect to have any issues with our future courses we are offering a peace-of-mind service, which will allow anyone booked onto a course to transfer to another course in the future without penalty or request a full refund should resorts and courses be unable to take place prior to the start of the course date due to COVID-19. This means you can book your instructor course and plan your winter season with confidence knowing you have SIA backing.
Who Can I Contact?
If you have any questions or require any assistance please email us at info@siaaustria.com or use our Contact Us page for other ways to contact the team.
Take care of yourselves and each other,
The SIA Team