Updated: 03-November-2021
With a lot of uncertainty around travel and the forthcoming ski season, please find below a list of our Coronavirus FAQs. However, if you’re still unsure what the ski season ahead will look like, or you have any specific questions that need addressing, then please do call us on: +44 (0) 1799 668033
We look forward to welcoming you in Resort soon
The Ski Armadillo Team
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Q. What’s the current situation in Switzerland?
A. For the most up-to-date Coronavirus Situation in Switzerland, please refer to: https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/situation-schweiz-und-international.html
Q. Can I book to go skiing this winter?
A. Yes, absolutely. The ski lifts ran daily during the 2020-2021 Winter Season and are planning on doing the same again this Season. We are in constant communication with our representatives in Verbier, Nendaz and Andermatt, so we can provide the most up-to-date information on the season ahead. Like all Alpine Nations, Switzerland continues to put certain measures in place to ensure the safety of all their visitors.
Q. Is it safe to stay in a Chalet?
A. Safety is the key concern for all kinds of accommodation, but we believe there are numerous benefits of staying in a chalet over a hotel. First and foremost, we don’t ‘chalet-share’, so you and your group will have exclusive use of your chalet. This will prevent the need to share communal areas, such as reception and restaurants, so you’ll come into contact with fewer people, if anybody at all. Furthermore, all of our Team Members are double vaccinated, with EMA approved vaccines.
Q. Are you still offering Catered Chalets?
A. Yes, Catered Chalets are what we do best, and has been the backbone of our successes over the past 20 years. Nothing beats waking up to the smell of breakfast, returning after a day on the slopes to a freshly baked cake and afternoon tea and, to finish the day off, being served a delicious 3 course meal accompanied by fine wine. We’ll also wash the dishes and make the beds, so you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the holiday you deserve.
However, we realise that a fully catered service might not be everyone’s ‘cup of tea’. Whether you want a self-catered chalet, due to social distancing concerns, or a flexi-catering service, so you can enjoy our wonderful gourmet food but also experience the world class Verbier restaurants… the choice is yours. For more information on the services we provide, please visit: https://skiarmadillo.com/our-service/
Whatever Chalet Service you desire, you can relax in the knowledge that we are working alongside Swiss Government guidelines to produce the ultimate luxury safety solutions across all our Chalets, to reduce risk and help you feel safe during your stay.
Q. What happens if I get Coronavirus Symptoms whilst on holiday?
A. We all need to do all we can to stop the rise in infection numbers. If you get Coronavirus Symptoms whilst staying in one of our Chalets, the Swiss Confederation has stated a clear 7 steps process to follow;
1. If you experience symptoms, get tested immediately and stay at your chalet.
2. To enable contact tracing, always provide your complete contact information.
3. To break infection chains, download and activate the SwissCovid App.
4. If you test positive: isolate. If you’ve had contact with a confirmed case: quarantine.
5. Do not shake hands.
6. Cough and sneeze into your elbow.
7. Only visit a doctor’s office or A&E department after making an appointment by phone.
For more information on these safety measures, please visit: www.foph-coronavirus.ch
You will also need to ensure that you have adequate insurance with Coronavirus cover, as you might be liable for extra rental costs if you have to stay in one of our chalets for an extended period of time, or if you have to stay in alternative accommodation during your isolation period. More information of Coronavirus Insurance Coverage can be found here: www.which.co.uk/news/2020/10/coronavirus-what-it-means-for-your-travel-insurance/
Q. What happens to my money if I can’t travel to resort due to Coronavirus?
A. We understand your concerns regarding COVID, which is why we’ve amended our cancellation policy, to give you the reassurance you need.
To secure one of our chalets, we require a 35% deposit. Full balances are then required 12 weeks prior to arrival.
Once the final balance is paid, we will guarantee a 65% Cash Refund PLUS 35% Re-Booking Credit towards another chalet-week (subject to availability) in the event of Cancellation due to;
1. An FCO Travel Ban and/or the closure of the Swiss borders, and/or
2. The need to self-isolate upon entering Switzerland**, and/or
3. An official Press Release from TeleVerbier/TeleNendaz/Andermatt, stating that the Resort will not be open during your dates of travel due to Covid related reasons.
All 100% Refunds and Re-Booking guarantees are subject to our Booking Conditions, in that adequate Travel Insurance is a Condition Precedent to booking with Ski Armadillo. If you do not yet have Travel Insurance, we recommend: MPI Brokers
*This refund/credit offer is for new bookings only, made after 01-July-2020, and does not apply to 2019-2020 forward bookings where a credit has been offered. 35% credit is valid up until April-2023
** Where guests have chosen NOT to receive an offered vaccine, for whatever reason, and they then need to isolate upon entering Switzerland, a Cash refund and/Re-Booking Credit DOES NOT apply
Please do contact us on: +44 (0) 1799 668595 if you have any questions about our deposit and cancellation policies.
Q. What happens if I need to cancel, due to personal sickness, including Coronavirus?
If you are unable to travel because you’ve tested positive for COVID-19, or told to Self-Isolate, then you will need to notify your Travel Insurance Provider. If you do not yet have Travel Insurance, we recommend: MPI Brokers
Q. What happens if I am unable to travel due to restrictions in Switzerland?
A. If the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCO) advises against all but essential international travel, and that you have to isolate for a period of time upon entering Switzerland**, then we will not be able to provide the catered accommodation element of your holiday booked through us. Therefore, we will offer you the 65% CASH refund and 35% CREDIT, as mentioned above.
** Where guests have chosen NOT to receive an offered vaccine, for whatever reason, and they then need to isolate upon entering Switzerland, a Cash refund and/Re-Booking Credit DOES NOT apply
Q. What happens if I am unable to travel due to restrictions in the UK/Country of Residence?
A. If the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCO) state that it’s safe to travel to Switzerland, but your country of residence states that you have to isolate when you return, then it’s your decision whether to travel or not. As we can still provide the accommodation element of your holiday, you will need to speak to your Travel Insurance Provider
Q. What will the experience be like in Resort?
A. Whilst we sell and operate Luxury Chalets in Switzerland, we all know that the main reason to visit the beautiful country is to Ski. The Swiss Ski resorts remained upon during the 2020-2021 Winter Season and have also had another Summer Season to refine their safety measures. Of course, by December-2021 these restrictions may have changed, but right now the safety measures planned for the winter season include:
The Skiing
The act of skiing is considered fairly easy to social distance and, with 410km of skiing, it’s easy to find your ‘own space’ in the 4 Valleys. However, The Swiss Ski Lift Association has developed a protection concept for ski lifts;
– Face masks must be work on ski lifts and in ski queues
– Regular cleaning of the ski lifts
– Management of lift queues, adhering to social distancing of 1.5m
– Hand sanitizers located at the Lift Stations
Airport Transfers
Our preferred Airport Transfer partners, Alpine Express, have been certified ‘Clean & Safe’ by Swiss Tourism. The precautions currently in place, to reduce the risk of spreading Coronavirus to the drivers and guests are;
– All drivers will wear a mask and disinfect their hands before AND after each trip and handling luggage
– No handshakes with guests or partner staff
– All drivers will maintain a 1.5m distance outside the vehicle whenever possible
– All passengers will be offered masks, if they don’t have their own
– High-touch surfaces are disinfected after every trip and thoroughly cleaned daily
Ski Hire
Our preferred Ski Hire partners, Mountain Air, are implementing the following extra-safety measures;
– All Ski Hire staff will wear face masks in the shop, unless double-vaccinated
– All guests will need to wear face masks in the shop, unless double vaccinated
– All hire equipment will be thoroughly cleaned, before and after each use
– High-touch surfaces in the store will be cleaned regularly
– A one-way system will be implemented, along with social zoning
– Hand-sanitising stations will be situated around the shop
Q: What will the Apres-Ski scene be like?
A: We all know how important that apres-ski beer is and, thankfully, Restaurants, Bars and Nightclubs will be open.
As always, our aim is to provide you with the most up-to-date information, especially relating to Covid-19, so you can maximise your enjoyment whilst in Verbier. Therefore, please find below an update from the Federal Council regarding access to Indoor settings.
Entering Bars, Restaurants & Indoor Events
– From 13-Sept, a COVID certificate will be required in Bars, Restaurants, Nightclubs and Indoor Events
– The Covid certificate is the only permissible document for entry
– Anyone who has been vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and requires a certificate for Switzerland can apply for a Swiss COVID certificate
Swiss Covid Certificate: https://www.covidcertificate-form.admin.ch/foreign
However, at the time of updating these FAQs (03-Nov-2021), certain vaccination certificates are being accepted by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). For example;
– If you already have an EU Digital COVID Certificate or a certificate that is compatible with the EU Digital COVID Certificate, then you don’t need to apply for a Swiss COVID certificate as these are also recognised in Switzerland.
– On 03-Nov-2021, the Public Health Department in Switzerland (BAG) confirmed, that with immediate effect, the NHS Covid Certificate of the UK will be accepted in Switzerland in place of the Swiss Covid Certificate.
Source: https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/covid-zertifikat.html
EMA Approved Vaccines: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory/overview/public-health-threats/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/treatments-vaccines/covid-19-vaccines
Covid Certificate FAQ: https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/haeufig-gestellte-fragen.html?faq-url=/covid/en/covid-certificate
Q. What about Children?
At the time of updating these FAQs, the following regulations apply for children travelling to Switzerland:
– Children under 16: Do not have to be vaccinated to enter Switzerland when accompanied by a vaccinated adult. They also don’t have to do a PCR test or quarantine.
– Children over 16: Need to provide a negative test (or be fully vaccinated) to enter Switzerland and an accepted Covid Certificate (when fully vaccinated) or otherwise a PCR test every 72h or an Antigen test every 48h to enter restaurants etc.
– Children with one vaccination: The Swiss rules state that if a child counts as “fully vaccinated” in their country of origin when having received one shot, Switzerland will also accept it as fully vaccinated.
For more information on whether you can enter Switzerland under your personal conditions, please refer to: https://travelcheck.admin.ch/home
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Please note: This is advisory information and Ski Armadillo are not liable should you be able/unable to obtain a Swiss Covid Certificate. This process might not be applicable to you, but we are making all our guests aware of the situation with travelling to Switzerland and entering bars/restaurants. In addition, these FAQs are for guidance only as it’s the responsibility of our guests to fully understand the travel restrictions/vaccine process in their Country of Residence.