China payback: Italian ski resorts to sue Beijing for coronavirus cover up
ITALIAN ski resorts which were severely hit by COVID-19 are to sue China for neglecting its role in the pandemic.
Ski resorts bosses in the Dolomites in northern Italy were forced to end their ski season early in March devastating the local economy due to coronavirus. Resorts owners in the city of Cortina d'Ampezzo have now taken steps to sue the Chinese Ministry of Health over the deadly virus
They claim that China did not “immediately inform” the World Health Organization (WHO) about the spread of the coronavirus and its serious lethal effects in Wuhan in December 2019.
They also claim the government failed to put in place “necessary control measures” at Chinese airports to halt the spread of the disease.
The action was started last month by a well-known hotel in Cortina d’Ampezzo and now has the backing of hundreds of other resorts.
In a written submission to the Court of Belluno, lawyer Marco Vignola, representing the hotel owners, said: "On March 12th, the hotel was forced to close early, right in the middle of the ski season, with disastrous consequences including the dismissal of all staff and the cancellation of supply and reservation contracts.
Italian ski resorts blame China for not alerting the WHO quickly enough (Image: Getty)
"The serious omissions of the Chinese Ministry of Health prevented the Italian State from immediately implementing health measures that would have certainly minimised the negative consequences derived from COVID-19."
Vignola also claims that the spread of the virus halted the construction of important infrastructure projects for the Winter Olympics which the town is set to host in 2026.
This includes the construction of a new airport to deal with an influx of people expected for the historic event along with the Alpine World Ski Championships 2021.
Vignola claims that the international, cultural and sporting events will be severely impacted especially after the investment of “enormous economic resources”.
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