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Germany puts 11 regions of Italy on ‘high-risk’ quarantine list

Germany has added more than half of Italy to its coronavirus risk list, meaning many people travelling between the two countries will now face mandatory quarantine.

Published: 22 October 2020 13:36 CEST

Germany puts 11 regions of Italy on 'high-risk' quarantine list

People travelling to Germany from 11 regions of Italy will now have to quarantine. Photo: John MacDougall/AFP

As part of a major expansion of its list of Covid-19 risk areas in Europe, the German government institute responsible for monitoring public health said that 11 of Italy's 20 regions and plus one province presented “an increased risk of infection”.

That classification means that people entering Germany from one of these parts of Italy must quarantine upon arrival, effective from Saturday October 24th.

The 'high-risk areas' are:

Abruzzo
Autonomous Province of Alto Adige (South Tyrol)
Emilia-Romagna
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Lazio
Lombardy
Piedmont
Sardinia
Tuscany
Umbria
Valle d'Aosta
Veneto

The list includes several of Italy's most popular destinations for German holidaymakers, many of whom are thought to have booked autumn breaks before the rule change was announced.

Unless they fly home before Saturday, travellers returning to Germany from a high-risk area in Italy will have to get a test and go into quarantine while they await the results. That applies to anyone who has been to one of these areas in the past two weeks, even if they're not departing from there.

The German government is in the process of changing the rules to require everyone entering from a high-risk area to quarantine for a full 14 days, unless they test negative for coronavirus after no less than five days of isolation. Some German states have already begun applying the new, stricter rules.

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Germany has also added the whole of the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Poland and Liechtenstein to its risk list, as well as most of Austria and parts of Bulgaria, Estonia, Croatia, Sweden, Slovenia and Hungary.

Read more on The Local Germany.

Italy currently has no travel restrictions on Germany, meaning that travellers are free to cross from Germany into Italy without requiring a test or quarantine.

Some of Italy's neighbours have put it on their risk lists, however, including the UK (which requires travellers from Italy to quarantine upon arrival) and Switzerland, which has designated the regions of Campania, Sardinia and Veneto as risk zones.

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The transport strikes that will hit travel in Italy in May 2024

Transport strikes are common during Italy’s spring months, and May will be no exception this year as unions representing rail and public transport staff have announced multiple walkouts which may affect the travel plans of both locals and international visitors.

Here’s a look at the protests that are expected to cause the greater amount of disruption.

May 1st – Nationwide general strike

Rail and public transport passengers around the country may face major delays and/or cancellations on Wednesday, May 1st (which marks Italy’s Festa del Lavoro, or Labour Day) due to a 24-hour general strike backed by Italy’s main trade unions.

This is expected to be one of the most disruptive walkouts of the month as it will involve staff from both public and private transport operators at a local, regional and national level.

Besides the rail and public transport sectors, ferry services to and from Italy’s major islands, Sicily and Sardinia, and motorway services may also be affected.

It’s currently not clear whether or not the protest will affect air transport on the day.

May 3rd – Nationwide railway staff strike

Train passengers around the country may experience disruption on Friday, May 3rd as track maintenance staff at Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), which owns and manages all of Italy’s railway network, plan to strike for 24 hours.

The protest may impact both regional trains and long-distance services operated by Trenitalia and Italo.

May 6th – Nationwide public transport strike

Public transport passengers may face delays and/or cancellations on Monday, May 6th as staff at bus, tram and subway operators around the country plan to strike for 24 hours.

The timing and impact of the strike, which is backed by USB – one of Italy’s main transport unions – will vary from city to city, with further information on guaranteed services expected to become available closer to the date of the walkout.

May 12th – Air traffic controllers’ strike at Malpensa airport

Passengers flying to or from Milan’s Malpensa airport may face delays and/or cancellations on Sunday, May 12th as staff from air traffic control agency Enav plan to strike from 1pm to 5pm.

Detailed information on guaranteed flights is expected to be released on Enav’s website closer to the date of the walkout.

May 19th-May 20th – Nationwide Trenitalia strike

Staff at Trenitalia, Italy’s primary train operator, will strike from 3am on Sunday, May 19th to 2am on Monday, May 20th for a total of 23 hours.

The protest is expected to affect long-distance services as well as regional and local routes.

Local strikes

A number of smaller regional and local walkouts have also been announced for the coming weeks. A full list can be found on the Italian Transport Ministry’s website.

How bad are strikes in Italy?

Strikes in Italy are frequent but not all of them cause significant disruption for travellers.

The severity of disruption caused by any strike in the country largely depends on how many staff in any part of the transport sector decide to participate.

And, even in the case of highly disruptive strikes, some essential services (or servizi minimi) are guaranteed to run at peak times. This goes for all transport sectors, from local public transport to rail and air travel.

Keep up with all the latest updates in our strike news section.

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