‘In March 2020, work began on making ski resorts safe’

When did you start adapting the Swedish ski resorts to the coronavirus and what parts of this work were most important?

– Prior to Easter 2020, most of our members took the decision to close their ski resorts. This was done in advance and without demands from any government agency. This was a hard decision. At the same time, it signalled the start of our and our members’ preparations for this winter. A dialogue was established early on with the Public Health Agency of Sweden. The work resulted in clear advice and guidelines for our members on how to make their ski resorts safe. Important parts of the practical planning were, for example, extra safety marshals and digital solutions for minimising physical contact.

What are the most important lessons you have learnt from the work carried out last winter?

– Early planning and close collaboration with the government agencies concerned were the foundation. Our dialogue with the Public Health Agency of Sweden and our consultation with the regional infectious disease control unit, the county administrative boards and tourism industry representatives created a mutual understanding of what was required to minimise the spread of infection. The large ski resorts had a continual dialogue with the regional infectious disease control unit, and they were able to act fast to deal with the small number of incidents that occurred. SLAO had continual check-in meetings with our 200 members, who also supported each other. This proved especially important before and during winter half-term, when the media coverage was most intensive..

Both the Public Health Agency of Sweden and the regional infectious disease control unit for the mountain counties stated on several occasions that there had been no increase in the spread of infection during the holiday periods. How do you view this in relation to your own work?

– We are humbly proud that we could show that it was possible. Together with our visitors, we were able to make skiing safe. Of course, we respect the concern felt by parts of society, partly influenced by the initial media portrayal during the winter half-term of the spread of infection in the Alps. At the same time, the Public Health Agency of Sweden confirmed early this winter that skiing itself is not a risk activity but has helped public health during the pandemic, which many members have also attested to. For their visitors, skiing became a breathing space, especially on the home slopes close to population centres.

Titti Rodling was interviewed by Daniel Nordlund, Senior Consultant at New Republic. ‘Three Quick Questions…’ is a series of interviews conducted by New Republic.