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HEALTH

MAP: Which zone is your region in under Italy’s tier system?

A tiered system divides Italian regions into red, orange, yellow and white zones depending on coronavirus risk. Find the latest classification here.

Published: 5 November 2020 09:11 CET
Updated: 8 March 2021 09:11 CET
MAP: Which zone is your region in under Italy’s tier system?
Photo: Miguel Medina/AFP

*Please note this article is no longer being updated. See the latest reports on the coronavirus situation in Italy here. For Italy’s new lockdown rules in each region, click here.*

Under Italy’s current emergency decree, a national tiered framework means some Covid-19 rules differ based on where you are in Italy.

Regions are divided into red, orange, yellow and white zones, under a system based on how severe the coronavirus situation is locally. 

People in the highest-risk red zones are told to stay within their town, and are only allowed to leave for work, study, health or other urgent reasons.

The regional rules first came into effect on November 6th, and the classification is now revised weekly on Fridays based on the latest health data. 

Under the latest emergency decree, the government stated that the changes will come into effect on Mondays, rather than Sundays as has been the case previously. 

READ ALSO: Regional restrictions to continue as Italian PM signs new emergency decree

On Friday March 5th Italy’s health minister signed the latest ordinance moving two more regions into the orange zone and one into the red zone.

This means that from Monday, March 8th, Italy’s regions are classified as follows:

  • Yellow zones:Calabria, Lazio, Liguria, Puglia, Sicily, Valle d’Aosta
  • Orange zones: Abruzzo, Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Marche, Piedmont, Tuscany, Autonomous province of Bolzano, Autonomous province of Trento, Umbria, Veneto
  • Red zones: Basilicata, Campania, Molise (Local lockdowns are also in place in some towns and provinces.)
  • White zones: Sardinia
See below for more details of the restrictions in each area.
 

Note that in addition to the regional classifications, many towns and provinces have declared their own additional restrictions. See the current list here.

What are the rules?
 
Here’s an overview of the main rules in each zone, according to the Italian health ministry.
 
White zones
 
Regions classified under this band are exempt from most restrictions in other zones, including the 10pm curfew and 6pm closing time for bars and restaurants.
 
However, the final set of rules in place in each region varies depending on the local authority.
 
In Sardinia’s case, the regional governor signed an ordinance stating that the evening curfew has been moved back to 11.30pm, and that restaurants must close at 11pm instead of 6pm. Bars must close at 9pm.
 
Health Minister Roberto Speranza stressed that those living in white zones would need to continue “respecting all social distancing measures”.
 
Yellow zones:
 
Residents can circulate freely in their own region, including between towns, but may not leave the region except for work, health, emergencies or other essential reasons.
 
A nightly curfew applies from 10pm to 5am; you should only leave the house during these hours for essential reasons. Police can stop you and ask you to fill in a self-declaration form.
 
Bars, cafes, restaurants and all other food businesses are open and can serve customers on the premises until 6pm
 
 
All shops are open, though malls and outlet centres must close at weekends. 
 
Museums can open.
 
From March 27th, cinemas and theatres can reopen.
 
Nightclubs, bingo halls and casinos remain closed.
 
Gyms and pools remain closed.
 
Schools can conduct up to 75 percent of lessons in person, with the rest taking place remotely.
 
Orange zones:

According to the Italian health ministry, people in orange zones are not allowed to travel from one municipality (town) to another, unless for essential reasons, by either public or private transport.

Bars, cafes, restaurants, pastry shops and other food businesses are closed.

Home delivery is still allowed, and takeaway is permitted until curfew at 10pm.

Museums and art galleries are closed.

All shops can remain open.

Hairdressers and beauticians can remain open.

Visits to the homes of family and friends outside your municipality are not allowed.

You can leave your municipality to visit your second home.

Red zones:

In red zones, all the orange zone rules apply, plus:

In addition to not being allowed to travel from one municipality to another, people in red zones are not allowed to move around within their own area unless for essential reasons, by either public or private transport.

You can only enter or leave an orange or red zone for the same urgent reasons.

All schools in red zones are closed.

Shops are to close except for those deemed essential, which include supermarkets and other food shops, tabacchi, and pharmacies.

Hairdressers and beauticians are closed.

Visits to relatives and friends are not allowed, even within your own municipality,

Travel to second homes is also prohibited in red zones.

All team sports activities are suspended (solo exercise such as running or walking is allowed.)

How are the rules decided?
 
Italy’s Health Ministry decides which region is in which zone based on the advice of its Technical Scientific Committee (CTS), effectively bypassing regional authorities – many of which have said they were against a local lockdown or other tough measures.
 
 
The CTS takes 21 indicators into account, including each region’s Rt number (which shows the transmission rate) as well as factors like hospital bed capacity and whether local health authorities are able to successfully trace the source of outbreaks.
 
Note: Local restrictions can vary, and are subject to change. Here’s where to find the latest updates from your local authority.
 
Please note The Local is not able to advise on specific situations.  For more information please see the Italian Health Ministry’s website (in English).

Member comments

  4. We have been in Piemonte since early October but need to return to the UK soon. We shall be driving in our own vehicle through France. Apart from complying with entry requirements for France and the UK are we permitted to leave Piemonte/Italy and, if so, are there any additional requirements with which we must comply in undertaking this journey? All the guidance seems only to talk about entering, not leaving, Italy. Thanks. Gerry

  5. The article about “auto dichiarazione” doesn’t mention day-time travel in the red zone. It does seem, from the text of this article, that such a declaration IS required for day-time travel. Could you clarify this, please?

  6. Gerry, there is some guidance in Italian here: https://www.esteri.it/mae/it/ministero/normativaonline/decreto-iorestoacasa-domande-frequenti/focus-cittadini-italiani-in-rientro-dall-estero-e-cittadini-stranieri-in-italia.html
    If it is up to date then there is no restriction on your leaving Piemonte to return to your main residence in the UK. I would take the precaution though of filling in the declaration, checking the third radio button “altri motivi ..” and completing it with “rientro a domicilio nel Regno Unito”.

  9. The Local needs to do some basic proof reading so as not to dangerously mislead it’s readers. Both as to their health and advice as to not breaking the law. The map says Marche is orange whereas the list on the same, updated, page says it is yellow.

  10. Hello Stephen, both the map and the list is correct – there may be some disparity shortly after announcements are made while we are updating the page. Please bear with us as we work at all hours to keep up with these announcements.

  11. Can we update this for the changes on 6 December? It’ll be great seeing the majority of the map in yellow once more. Perhaps the aim of a yellow Christmas is within reach (of course whatever zone you’re in doesn’t change the Christmas lockdown but it would be great going into 2021 with low infections).

  12. Hi! Can I travel through the regions to get to my home which I have owned for 18 years, despite not having residency? We will be in our own car driving from Mont Blanc tunnel to Lucca in 8 hours with a negative Covid test.

  13. From my understanding this is allowed, but you will have to respect the rules of the zone at the time (orange currently), just in case you’re stopped by the police make sure you have the proof of your covid test.

    As Lucca is currently in the orange zone you won’t be able to travel to neighbouring towns without good reason and you wouldn’t be able to stop off in towns in the yellow zone on the way back to France.

    You must also avoid travelling into Italy between 21 Dec and 6 Jan otherwise you will have to quarantine 14 days even if you have a test.

  14. I just subscribed a few weeks ago, hoping this would be a reliable source of information, especially regarding necessary COVID information. It is disappointing to see errors on this site regarding these matters, such as in the article above, where the map shows (and calls out) Marche as being a Yellow Zone. But then the text of the article states that Marche is in an Orange Zone. There is no excuse for this carelessness. Does anyone edit the articles?

  15. The update on 31 Jan does not give the list of rules that apply to the majority of the country: the yellow zones.
    A serious oversight, but not uncommon for ‘The Local’. I agree with the immediate previous comment. This news feed is often amateurish, slapdash and unreliable.
    Buck up your ideas. People are relying on you.

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BREXIT

‘We are desperate’: Why the UK must help Britons with Italian healthcare charges

A 74-year-old British woman has explained the "frustration and fear" Britons in Italy are facing when trying to access healthcare and appealed to the UK government for help.

Published: 11 April 2024 09:53 CEST
'We are desperate': Why the UK must help Britons with Italian healthcare charges

Pat Eggleton, a teacher and writer from the UK, appealed to the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron in the letter sent April 9th about the “desperate” situation faced by UK citizens entitled to free healthcare in Italy – but unable to access it.

British nationals residing in Italy before Brexit, and covered by the Withdrawal Agreement (WA), are in many cases being told by Italian health authorities that they must pay steep new fees at a minimum of €2,000 a year – even though they are exempt from paying at all.

READ ALSO: ‘Life or death situation’: Brits facing high Italian healthcare costs amid rule change uncertainty

In her open letter seen by The Local, Ms. Eggleton, who has lived in Italy since 2005, highlighted that the current minimum is a huge jump from the previous €387, and said that the sum was “difficult, or even impossible, for some to find when there had been no prior notification and there is no option to pay in instalments.”

“A great deal of undeserved worry, frustration and even fear has ensued,” she wrote.

“Some of our group have serious, ongoing health conditions. All we require is for one sentence from the Italian government confirming that Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries do not have to pay for healthcare access to be circulated to all regional health authorities.

“We implore you to act before this becomes even more serious. As someone put it, “This is a matter not only of money, but of health.” 

Ms Eggleton’s letter came exactly one month after the British government confirmed that all WA agreement beneficiaries are exempt from paying the €2,000 fee, provided they were living in Italy before January 1st 2021.

But there were no details available at the time from the Italian government setting out how the rules would be implemented or communicated to local health authorities around Italy.

Since then, there has been no further information released by the Italian government on any official platform. 

One Withdrawal Agreement beneficiary, Graham Beresford, told The Local last week how he was having trouble accessing healthcare, even though he has a right to it.

Mr. Beresford suffers from blood cancer and needs access to the Italian healthcare system to obtain his medication. 

“Every time I go to my ASL (local health unit) office, I always feel like I’m dismissed,” Graham said. “I told the ASL worker I need medication for my cancer and she replied lots of people come in here with sob stories.

“There genuinely seems to be no compassion whatsoever.”

The Local has written to the Italian health ministry for comment.

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