Switzerland will not bow to foreign pressure to close its ski resorts during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Health Minister Alain Berset made this clear on Thursday, writes Reuters.

The Swiss government will discuss on Friday how the country will continue to act to combat the pandemic. Switzerland has not had a strict lockdown, but there is still a ban on events and gatherings.

In the surrounding Alpine countries of France, Italy and Germany, ski resorts are still closed, while Austria will allow skiing from Christmas Eve. However, in Austria, the hotels at the ski resorts will be closed, which only allows for day trips.

Switzerland has not imposed a general ban on skiing, although the start of the season in many resorts has been postponed. The country's government says it is not affected by the decisions of neighboring countries.

”"Switzerland is not reacting to pressure from other countries," Health Minister Alain Berset said on Thursday, according to Reuters.

He added at the same time that it would not look good if people believed that Switzerland was benefiting from other countries' caution and lockdowns.

”There is no pressure on us right now, but it could be bad for Switzerland's reputation if there were to be outbreaks all over Europe and people would say it came from Switzerland.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Switzerland has reported 340,000 cases of COVID-19 and 4,747 deaths related to the disease.

Source: di.se