“For us who have not reopened for almost two years, habits must be resumed, new habits too”, reacted Sunday, December 5 on franceinfo Laurent Reynaud, general delegate of the ski areas of France. Since Saturday, December 4, the health pass is compulsory in the queues and on the ski lifts for those over 12 years old.
franceinfo: Are customers sufficiently informed about the health pass and other measures?
Laurent Reynaud: The health pass is a concession that must be made with the rise of the epidemic. It is a big job of information that we do. Last year the skiers were unable to use the ski lifts. For us who have not reopened for almost two years, habits must be resumed, new habits too, such as putting on a mask or a filtering and Covid-approved neck strap when arriving in front of a ski lift. The neck strap is surely the simplest compared to the mask in the context of an activity like ours.
What proportion of customers are you losing with these health restrictions and the pass?
The losses are low: most of the French population is vaccinated. There are questions about school skiing, since in the school environment, the health pass is something new, so it raises a number of questions from teachers in particular. These are discovery classes, also day skiing, especially in the Piedmont area. There will be questions about foreign, Belgian, Dutch, or British customers. The questions on mobility remain unresolved. But for now, reservations are on the right track.
Category 1 surgical or fabric masks are also compulsory from 11 years old on all lifts and in all queues. Who controls this?
The mask is us, just like the barrier gestures. People are well used today, even if outdoors it is often more difficult to enforce the wearing of a mask, hence the Covid agents, who will be our employees or people mandated for this purpose, to remind people in the access lines that must be put back on at the bottom of the track, especially on busy days. The mask is a habit to take. On the ski lifts so far we have been teaching and everything is going well. People want to continue to be able to ski, and to be able to take advantage of a good season, both professionals, who were very hard hit last year, and holidaymakers.