NSW Resorts Remain Closed After Lockdown Extended in Snowy Monaro Region

September 9th, 2021
Perisher’s Front Valley this morning. It looks like it will remain pretty quiet for a while

Mountainwatch | Reggae Elliss

No doubt there are a lot of happy people throughout regional NSW after the Premier announced at today’s press conference that parts of regional NSW which have seen zero Covid cases for 14 days will come out of lockdown on Saturday, September 11 at 12.01 am.

Unfortunately, as a result of two recent Covid cases in Cooma the Snowy Monaro region is not one of them and the NSW ski resorts and local businesses will remain closed.

At this stage there is no specific date on when the lockdown may lift, Deputy Premier and Snowy Monaro local member John Barilaro saying that, “the LGAs which remain in lockdown will continue to be monitored and we will update those communities on a regular basis.”

Given that the most recent case in Cooma was yesterday, it is likely the Snowy Monaro LGA will remain in lockdown until at least September 25.

While the Victorian resorts and local communities were cheering yesterday about the news they can reopen tomorrow for visitors from regional Victoria, there was a feeling of resigned disappointment for many in the Snowy Mountains upon hearing today that the lockdown will continue. However, given the two cases in Cooma it was no surprise when their worst fears were confirmed.

The regional lockdown was first announced on August 14, originally for a week, before being extended twice until 11.59pm this Friday, September 10.

It had been hoped that the resorts and local businesses would open on Saturday for the last three weeks of the season and that locals and people from regional NSW would be able to sneak in a few spring turns.

In a statement Thredbo released today, General manager Stuart Diver said that, “While we are incredibly disappointed to see the continued temporary closure of our resort, we are committed to playing our part in ensuring the health and safety of our guests, teams and our community. We will continue to monitor the situation and are working closely with NSW Health. We look forward to welcoming our guests back to the mountain when we are able to.”

The big question is whether those guests will be skiers or mountain bikers.