Safe Mountain: The COVID-19 testing concept

Laax, December 23, 2020. For winter sports resorts in Graubünden, the goal is clear: to ensure that the winter tourist season takes place in a responsible manner. The aim is to achieve this through sophisticated protection concepts. To this end, the Weisse Arena Group – the operator of the LAAX winter sports resort – has teamed up with partners from industry and science to develop a unique COVID-19 testing concept.

Mass testing in the canton of Graubünden and the surrounding area shows that many people test positive for COVID-19 even though they have no symptoms at the time of testing. These individuals obviously pose a particularly high risk of infection because they are unaware that they are contagious. The aim of the Weisse Arena Group's testing concept is to detect infected individuals as early as possible in order to break chains of infection at an early stage. The Weisse Arena Group is thus also making a valuable contribution to the canton's new testing strategy, which also provides for increased testing of asymptomatic individuals. Together with the measures already in place, the Weisse Arena Group now has a comprehensive and coordinated protection concept for employees and guests.

Fighting the virus with a scientific network and Graubünden power

A precise procedure is required for the regular testing of vulnerable members of the population or employees who do not show any symptoms. This procedure should be as convenient as possible for employees to use and at the same time not place a strain on the limited capacities of traditional PCR testing methods. A working group consisting of Prof. Fischer from the B-FAST project in Germany, the SwissAnalysis and LMZ Dr. Risch laboratories, and representatives of the Weisse Arena Group established a molecular biological procedure based on the CE-certified enderMASS assay. In this method, saliva samples diluted in mouthwash or gargle water are examined using a 1:4 pooling procedure. Thanks to the rapid and competent support of another innovative Graubünden company, Hamilton AG in Bonaduz, the pooling and thus the increase in testing capacity could be implemented within a few weeks.

The sensitivity of the method used does not quite match that of a conventional PCR analysis, but it is still 10 to 100 times higher than that of the best antigen tests available on the market. This provides a testing method for the early detection of infected individuals and virus spreaders in the general population or among employees without symptoms.
The LMZ Dr. Risch laboratory is currently establishing further procedures with alternative manufacturers of non-PCR resource-consuming assays for possible scaling within the Flims Laax Falera destination or to other regions.

Three-stage concept

The focus is on systematic testing of employees. Thanks to a sophisticated combination with questionnaires to be completed regularly to create risk profiles, maximum protection is achieved through the efficient use of tests. As a second measure, locals and visitors to Flims, Laax, and Falera are currently being invited by the municipalities to undergo a COVID-19 test using the same testing procedure. In a third step, arriving guests are also offered the opportunity to take a test in order to contribute to safe winter sports enjoyment.

The Weisse Arena Group is convinced that this multi-stage concept will make an important contribution to preventing the spread of the pandemic in the region and offer employees, locals, and guests the greatest possible safety.