Categories: World News

Austria Sued For COVID-19 Outbreaks In Ski Resorts

A file photo of a court gavel.

A consumer watchdog said Wednesday it is seeking hundreds of thousands of euros in damages from the Austrian state over coronavirus outbreaks in ski resorts suspected of spreading the deadly virus across Europe.

The head of the VSV consumer protection association, Peter Kolba, told a press conference that several civil lawsuits had been filed in a Vienna court over the outbreaks, including one in the now notorious resort of Ischgl.

Kolba says more than 6,000 tourists from 45 countries, including Germany, the UK, and the US, have been in touch with the association to report having been infected in ski resorts in western Austria.

At least 32 tourists who visited Austrian ski resorts have died, according to Kolba.

The VSV accuses officials of failing to inform the public of the outbreak in a timely fashion.

Icelandic authorities said on March 5 they thought Ischgl was a risk area after skiers returned from there with coronavirus infections and on March 7 a waiter in a bar became the first person in Ischgl itself to test positive.

However, the ski season — and its attendant partying — continued for several days.

The valley was not put under quarantine until Match 13, and Kolba says the hasty evacuation of tourists aboard cramped buses led to further infections.

Evacuated tourists have described sitting next to others who were sneezing and coughing.

“Chancellor (Sebastian) Kurz is the one who introduced all this chaos,” said Kolba, saying that the abruptness of the government’s quarantine announcement did not leave local authorities enough time to better manage the evacuation.

One case filed by the VSV concerns a 72-year-old Austrian who is thought to have contracted the virus on one of the evacuation buses and later died.

Another case involves a German tourist who was admitted to intensive care.

In both cases, the plaintiffs are seeking 100,000 euros ($117,000) in damages.

“These are just the first, but we will bring other lawsuits as well,” Kolba said.

The VSV has also lodged legal complaints in Tyrol, the region where the outbreaks occurred, but says that prosecutors there have not investigated thoroughly enough

AFP

Solomon Elusoji

Disqus Comments Loading...
Share
Published by
Solomon Elusoji

Recent Posts

45 Killed As Bus Plunges Off South Africa Bridge

The vehicle had been heading from neighbouring Botswana to Moria in the north of the…

14 mins ago

CBN Pegs Minimum Capital Base For Banks At ₦500bn 

The apex bank said the new minimum capital base for commercial banks with national authorisation…

2 hours ago

Soldiers’ Killing Oil-Related, DSS Should Lead Probe — Urhobo Leader

The Urhobo leader called for an independent probe into the circumstances that led to the…

2 hours ago

Tyrants Won’t Become Leaders In Parliamentary Democracy — Utomi 

The thought leader noted that thriving democracies in the world practice parliamentary democracy.

3 hours ago

Tinubu Appoints Abdullahi Bello As CCB Chairman 

By the presidential pronouncement, Abdullahi Bello replaces Aliyu Kankia, who has been the acting Chairman…

3 hours ago

NAFDAC Cracks Down On Fake Bottled Water Syndicate In Rivers

The illicit scheme involved affixing pre-printed Eva labels onto the bottles and sealing them with…

5 hours ago