Closure of Poland's ski slopes unlikely this winter

Poland’s ski slopes should remain open this season despite the rising number of Covid cases, according to a deputy Polish health minister.

Waldemar Kraska, speaking on RMF FM radio, said that as the season will start at the end of December he hopes it will be "after the peak of the fourth wave."

"We want Poles to enjoy outdoor recreation," he said. "We will also be building up resilience then, so I think that such a situation (closure of slopes - PAP) will not happen."

Last winter the skiing industry was hit hard after the season was severely disrupted by the pandemic lockdown.

A few days ago, Sylwia Groszek, the spokeswoman for the Polish Ski and Tourist Stations Association, said that Olga Semeniuk, deputy development minister, had assured representatives of the skiing industry that there would be no push to close the industry this winter.

Deputy Chief Sanitary Inspector Izabela Kucharczyk also said that the recommendation for the skiing industry is "to leave the ski resorts open while maintaining sanitary regimes, which will be updated in the coming weeks."