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TOURISM

TRAVEL: Italy scraps Covid quarantine rules for EU, Britain and Israel

Italy's government on Friday said it was scrapping quarantine requirements for visitors from the European Union, Britain and Israel who test negative for coronavirus, as it seeks to entice tourists this summer.

Published: 14 May 2021 13:53 CEST
TRAVEL: Italy scraps Covid quarantine rules for EU, Britain and Israel
Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP

Under new rules that come into force from Sunday, Italy will also extend so-called “Covid-free” flights, currently in place to and from the United States, to Canada, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.

At the same time, measures blocking arrivals from Brazil have been extended.

“Health Minister Roberto Speranza has signed a decree that provides for entry from countries in the EU and the Schengen area, as well as Britain and Israel, with a negative test, overcoming the current system of mini-quarantine,” the spokesman said.

Visitors from those countries have until now been required to undergo a five-day quarantine and two coronavirus tests.

Now visitors will only need to show proof of a negative test result, though no further details of the requirement for travellers were immediately available on Friday.

US, Canada and Japan

Italy also wants to allow tourists from the United States, Canada and Japan to visit without quarantine if they have been vaccinated, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has said.

While the first step is to vaccinate as many residents of Italy as possible before the summer, Draghi said, he also indicated that Italy would revise its strict rules on entering from overseas

Last weekend Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio suggested that tourists from the US would be allowed to return from June, the month that the European Union has pledged to reopen to vaccinated or tested travellers from outside the bloc.

In recent days government ministers have repeatedly indicated that a change in Italy’s travel rules is imminent without giving firm dates for different countries, to the confusion and frustration of people trying to finalise holiday plans. 

READ ALSO: How the Italian government has left tourists angry and confused about summer plans

Leaders of the G7 countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US and the EU – are due to meet from June 11-13th, with travel sure to be on the agenda.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has said the return of tourists is crucial to the recovery of the eurozone’s third largest economy, which was one of the EU countries worst hit by coronavirus.

Outdoor eating in cafes and restaurants resumed in Italy’s lower risk ‘yellow zones’ last month, and museums and cinemas reopened, although a 10pm curfew remains in place nationwide.

READ ALSO: 

Draghi is under pressure from the far-right League and other parties supporting his so-called ‘national unity’ government to allow further reopenings, and the issue is set to dominate scheduled coalition talks on Monday.

Italy’s rate of infections has slowed in recent weeks, while the vaccination campaign has gained pace after months of delays.

Some 26 million doses have so far been administered in the country of 60 million people, with around eight million people fully vaccinated.

Member comments

  1. I will never understand this lack of clarity on tourists from the United States (just a simple allowed or not allowed). I changed all of our plans last night, we will go to Spain instead.

      1. Was hoping our plans for Italy would work out but I couldn’t wait any longer to change our reservations.

  3. Good news! But as we sit by Lake Como now, having done the two tests and the 5 day quarantine, it’s interesting to see how many tourists are already here who tell us they haven’t followed the rules which are valid until tomorrow!!!

  4. If we are American from Los Angeles, fly to Greece for 1 week, fly from Greece to Venice. Will we be exempt from quarantine with these new rules?

    1. I doubt it. Italy is notorious for being inflexible with things like this. However we had no trouble at Dubai airport with our Italian test results late last year.

    2. Yes, I have had it done 2x for travel. In Sorrento and in Rome. It’s been no problem. You just have to ask.

  6. Here’s hoping Australians will be exempt from quarantine too! Although we have the added challenge of gaining permission from our government to leave Australia with no end in sight to the strict travel requirements here in Australia. Feeling imprisoned. Help! 🙂

  7. Scotland just extended level 3 and the rest of the UK are worried about increasing Indian variant….😱

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HEALTH

Covid-19 still causing 1,000 deaths a week in Europe, WHO warns

The World Health Organization's European office warned on Tuesday the risk of Covid-19 has not gone away, saying it was still responsible for nearly 1,000 deaths a week in the region. And the real figure may be much higher.

Published: 27 June 2023 13:27 CEST
Covid-19 still causing 1,000 deaths a week in Europe, WHO warns

The global health body on May 5 announced that the Covid-19 pandemic was no longer deemed a “global health emergency.”

“Whilst it may not be a global public health emergency, however, Covid-19 has not gone away,” WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge told reporters.

The WHO’s European region comprises 53 countries, including several in central Asia.

“Close to 1,000 new Covid-19 deaths continue to occur across the region every week, and this is an underestimate due to a drop in countries regularly reporting Covid-19 deaths to WHO,” Kluge added, and urged authorities to ensure vaccination coverage of at least 70 percent for vulnerable groups.

Kluge also said estimates showed that one in 30, or some 36 million people, in the region had experienced so called “long Covid” in the last three years, which “remains a complex condition we still know very little about.”

“Unless we develop comprehensive diagnostics and treatment for long Covid, we will never truly recover from the pandemic,” Kluge said, encouraging more research in the area which he called an under-recognised condition.

Most countries in Europe have dropped all Covid safety restrictions but some face mask rules remain in place in certain countries in places like hospitals.

Although Spain announced this week that face masks will no longer be required in certain healthcare settings, including hospitals and pharmacies, with a couple of exceptions.

Sweden will from July 1st remove some of its remaining Covid recommendations for the public, including advice to stay home and avoid close contact with others if you’re ill or have Covid symptoms.

The health body also urged vigilance in the face of a resurgence of mpox, having recorded 22 new cases across the region in May, and the health impact of heat waves.

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