In July 2020, Christian Gartmann founded the "Corona II Engadin" task force, which was made up of companies from the region and senior employees of the Engadin St. Moritz destination organisation. The task force set itself the goal of helping the Upper Engadin through the pandemic. The group was active until 2022.

At the invitation of the task force, the municipalities of the entire Engadin and the southern valleys (Val Bregaglia, Valposchiavo, Val Müstair) as well as the destination organisation Engadin Scuol/Samnaun/Val Müstair and other destinations in Graubünden also met with it.

There was a mutual exchange on a project/topic basis with those responsible in the Canton of Graubünden (Cantonal Command Staff KFS, Health Department). However, the task force never saw itself as a regional management team.

In spring 2022, after 58 meetings with the municipalities, 84 newsletters to businesses and tourism service providers and around 20 media releases, the task force discontinued its activities for the time being. It continues to monitor the course of the pandemic.

Christian Gartmann developed manuals with scenarios for the respective winter and summer seasons for the task force. Tourism actors in the region used them to prepare for possible developments in the pandemic and to train their employees.

Every week, the head of the task force provided information about the

• Current situation in the Upper Engadine healthcare system
• Case numbers (situation in Switzerland/abroad)
• Measures (Switzerland/abroad)
• Current developments in the situation
• Current activities of the task force
• Concerns of the municipalities
• Relevant developments in the coming weeks

A weekly newsletter provided relevant information on the development of the pandemic, protective measures, and an outlook for the coming weeks. It was published 84 times and read by up to 3,000 people.

If necessary, the head of the task force coordinated between the service providers, municipalities and cantonal offices.

In addition to regular information activities and dialogue with the municipalities, the task force also provided situational support services:

• Support for the cantonal testing strategy
• Area test in southern Grisons (December 2020)
• Outbreak testing in St. Moritz (January 2021)
• Support for the cantonal operational tests (April 2021-February 2022)
• Development of a protection concept for municipalities with mountain railways

A municipal protection concept was a crucial condition for the operating licence of the mountain railways in winter. The task force took the lead in developing this concept, which was not only approved but also adopted by several municipalities, a testament to its effectiveness and relevance. 

• Support for testing and vaccination centres and service providers in launching and publicising their activities among service providers and in the media.
• Support for municipalities, destinations and businesses in event and crisis communication
• Criticism of the opening of ski resorts
• Premiere for area tests
• Clusters of outbreaks in St. Moritz in January
• Further situational media advice and media work (for the destination, businesses, support for interests in the region)

The task force published reports on the current situation and activities to support the concerns of its partners. The task force's activities were discussed positively in the media and in public. Thus, they contributed to the overall positive perception of crisis management in Graubünden, southern Grisons, and the Maloja region.

The management of the cantonal crisis management board (KFS) also welcomed the task force's activities, as its head, Martin Bühler, emphasised publicly on several occasions. 

Expenditure 

The destination organisation Engadin St. Moritz Tourismus AG has borne the main cost of the task force's activities. In addition to the financial outlay, it assumed around half of the workload through its employees. The municipalities of the Maloja region contributed around a third of the total expenditure. Individual municipalities in the Bernina and Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair regions contributed solidarity to the task force's expenses.

The management of the Corona II Engadin task force

Jan Steiner, Brand Manager Engadin, Engadin St. Moritz Tourismus AG
jan.steiner@remove-this.estm.ch | +41 79 686 91 91

Christian Gartmann, Project Manager Taskforce / Coordination Municipalities
christian@remove-this.gartmann.biz | +41 79 355 78 78 

((Machine translation: deepl/grammarly))