France to impose ‘deterrent’ to discourage Christmas ski holidays

France will implement measures to discourage residents from travelling to foreign ski resorts during Christmas, in a bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus, said French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.

“Yes, we will have restrictive and deterrent measures,” Macron said after a meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo in Paris, adding that the measures would be coordinated in the coming days.

Macron also called for European coordination on the question of opening the continent’s ski resorts over the festive season.

His comments come amid a spat between Europe’s Alpine countries about whether to close resorts in order to prevent tourists spreading the coronavirus.

While Germany and Italy advocate opening ski resorts only after the New Year, Austria and Switzerland do not want to close their ski resorts at all.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex said last week that the country’s ski resorts should remain closed.