An Austrian consumer rights group has filed four civil lawsuits against the country’s government over Covid-19 outbreaks at ski resorts in the western Tyrol region earlier this year.<\/p>\n
The group also said it hoped to bring at least one class action lawsuit next year on behalf of thousands of people.<\/p>\n
One resort, Ischgl, was linked to cases in 45 countries after skiers brought home the virus with them.<\/p>\n
Authorities have said they acted based on what was known at the time.<\/p>\n
The first case at Ischgl ski village was reported on 7 March, but Austria’s public health agency has since said it believes there were cases at the resort as early as 5 February.<\/p>\n
The Consumer Protection Association (VSV), a private organisation in Austria, said the four civil cases were being brought on behalf of individuals and were all related to Ischgl ski village.<\/p>\n
They are seeking damages of up to \u20ac100,000 (\u00a392,000; $117,000).<\/p>\n
The VSV described the four civil suits as test cases, and said that more than 6,000 people from different countries had signed up for potential class action suits next year.<\/p>\n
Most of those who have signed up are from Germany, but the group includes people from Austria, the UK and the US.<\/p>\n
The VSV has also written to Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz urging him to agree to a settlement.<\/p>\n
The authorities maintain that they responded appropriately to the outbreaks in Tyrol according to the information that was available at the time.<\/p>\n
However, the VSV alleges that the local and national governments knew of the threat of mass coronavirus infection in the popular ski resorts and responded too slowly.<\/p>\n
Alexander Klauser, a lawyer representing some of those who caught the virus at Tyrolian resorts, told a press conference on Wednesday that the authorities were aware of infections as early as February.<\/p>\n
“On 25 February, the authorities closed down a hotel in Innsbruck because one of the employees had tested positive, so that means the authorities reacted immediately when this case in Innsbruck – the capital of the province of Tyrol – became known.<\/p>\n
“But they did not react [to later cases], although there is evidence that the Austrian authorities were informed about cases in Ischgl and other ski resorts as early as 3, 4 and 5 March.”<\/p>\n
He added: “A group of tourists from Iceland tested positive, and the Icelandic government reported the cases to the Austrian government as early as 5 March.”<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"