(Bloomberg) -- A court in Austria has rejected civil claims filed by two German tourists seeking damages for how local authorities responded to one of the earliest coronavirus outbreaks in Europe.
The Vienna Civil Court closed the case without hearing witnesses, arguing it couldn't be proved that the pair had contracted the virus in the resort of Ischgl, according to the Consumer Protection Association, which is representing about 6,000 claimants related to the events in March 2020.
The court also ruled that Austria's epidemic law that underpinned the authorities' actions was designed to influence public health as a whole, and couldn't be grounds for assessing individuals, the association said in a statement. It plans to challenge the rulings.
Claimants have argued a massive Covid-19 outbreak at the hard-partying ski resort was covered up and then downplayed by Austrian officials to save the lucrative spring season.
Separately, state prosecutors closed criminal investigations into the virus response last week without charging anyone.
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