After the current set of rules expired on July 31st, Italy is due to launch a new emergency decree, or DPCM (Decreto del presidente del consiglio, or prime minister's decree).
The Italian government has already extended the current state of emergency until October 15th, which means it can now get on with drafting the decreto agosto, or August decree.
READ ALSO: What is Italy's 'state of emergency' and why has it been extended?
While many people hope some of the current rules may be revised – including travel restrictions – so far it looks likely that many of the existing measures will remain in place, with the government urging people to remain cautious.
The August decree is widely expected to be focused on supporting businesses as well as funding labour protection and social security measures, with Italy now facing its “worst recession since World War Two”.
Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (L) and Finance and Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP
At a hearing at the joint budget committees of the Chamber and the Senate, Italy's Finance Minister, Roberto Gualtieri, said the money will be allocated to schools, local authorities, employees and businesses: in particular the automotive and tourism sectors.
Measures for businesses include consumer spending bonuses, social distancing incentives for hiring new employees, financial support for those returning to work, and support for employees to continue “smart working”, or working from home. The package of measures will cost an estimated €25 billion, ministers said.
The decree is also expected to lay out which safety precautions – notably mandatory face masks, social distancing on transport and limits on public gatherings – will continue.
The full contents of the new decree were expected to be announced in a speech by the prime minister in the first week of August, though Italian media now reports that it won't come into force until August 10th.
As yet nothing has been officially confirmed. But for now, here's what we know about the main policies likely to be included.
Face masks to remain compulsory
Wearing a face mask in enclosed public spaces, including shops and public transport, is expected to remain mandatory throughout Italy until at least the end of August, reports say.
Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP
Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP
We made it to Italy from the U.S. last week, and we are just finishing our first week of isolation. We booked a nonstop on Alitalia from Boston to Rome. We really had very few problems, but the fact that we own a home in Italy, plus we have Italian passports, may have “greased the wheels” for us. We did run into the situation that the declaration forms had changed a few days before our flight, so they gave us new ones to fill out. In Boston, we were told to put both of our names on the form, but the police in Rome didn’t like that. We walked back to the line entrance and filled out new forms at a table with a bunch of other people. They had stacks of forms in both Italian and English. I made sure we had proof of home ownership and photos of the water-damaged walls, which is the reason I gave for traveling, but no one ever asked questions or to see our supporting documents–just the declaration form. Now, we take our temperatures twice a day and email the numbers to the local health department. Next week, they will send someone out to give us a Covid test. We have friends who are hoping to travel to Italy next week. They are also homeowners and they have the permesso di soggiorno, so we’ll see what happens to them. Our other friends and homeowners are trying to come in September, but they have only American passports. The rules are very confusing, and it’s true, the airlines seem to be the gatekeepers. We’ve received confirmation from both a consulate and the Office of Foreign Affairs that every homeowner is allowed to “return home”, but the airlines seem to have their own rules. Our story may not be helpful to others, but I’ll let you know what happens to our friends.
We flew from JFK last week to Rome, then on to Sardinia on Alitalia. We registered with the Sardegna Sicura app as residents of Sardinia and received permission by email and on the app to enter Sardinia. We had to confirm our trip within 48 hours of our return. The app includes the Covid declaration.
To board in New York, we had our temperature taken, “new Covid forms” committing to 14 days quarantine, and presentation of our Italian /EU residency documents.(my understanding of the rules is that freedom to travel is based on Italian/EU residency, rather than citizenship and / or property ownership).Boarding passes were issued based upon our US passports.
Entry in Rome required new “Covid 19” forms. Boarding to Sardinia was a temperature check and another check upon arrival. We had to present out US Passports and Italian residency documents in Rome to enter.
While in quarantine, there have been no official checks. However we are in a small town and we know the police and they know us well. There is also contact tracing with the Sardegna Sicura app.
I hope this is helpful