COVID-19 update: Italy's famous ski slopes to stay shut till March 2021

Skiing lovers, who were eagerly waiting for that Italy trip, will have to wait longer as the government of Italy has postponed the reopening of the country's ski slopes until at least March 5, 2021. The decision was taken after numerous cases of the British COVID-19 variant were found in the country.

The news was announced on Sunday by government officials just a night before ski resorts were supposed to reopen in Italy. According to local reports, the officials were worried about new COVID-19 variants; as of now, the British variant is responsible for more than 18 per cent of the new infections in the country.Following Italy’s footsteps, France and Germany are also keeping their slopes shut to stop the virus spread. But Switzerland kept all its ski resorts open throughout the pandemic and Austria too but only for locals.
Italy ranks number two when it comes to Coronavirus deaths in Europe after the UK. According to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, the country has recorded 2.7 million positive cases and nearly 94000 COVID-19 deaths. Italy was also one of the first countries to impose lockdown in 2020 because of rising virus cases.

As of now, travel is strictly banned between regions in Italy. Some popular attractions have reopened including Vatican Museums, but only for locals.