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Italy lifts Covid travel ban on arrivals from southern Africa

The Italian government on Friday removed the travel ban in place for eight southern African states, which was imposed in November in response to the spread of the Omicron variant.

Published: 16 January 2022 12:21 CET

Italy has lifted its travel ban on 8 South African countries.

Italy has relaxed its Covid restrictions for international travellers, opening up tourism. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Italy has removed travel restrictions for those who have visited South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Swaziland.

The measure had been in place since November 26th and applied to all those who had been in any of these states within the previous fortnight.

The decision to scrap the ban was confirmed by Italy’s health minister Roberto Speranza, who signed an ordinance on Friday – when the change also came into force.

“Considering the evolution of the epidemiological situation at national and international level, it is necessary, after consulting the General Directorate for Health Prevention, to stop applying the measures provided for in the aforementioned Order of the Minister of Health of November 26th 2021,” the text reads.

Arrivals from the eight countries however remain subject to tight entry restrictions under Italy’s travel ‘list E‘ rules, the health ministry confirmed in a statement.

This means tourism is not allowed and people can only enter the country for the following specific reasons:

work
health reasons
study reasons
absolute urgency
return to one’s home or residence.

Arrivals from List E countries are also required to take a PCR or antigen test before travel to Italy and undergo a ten-day isolation period and further testing once in Italy. See full details of the rules here.

See further information about travel to Italy from any country on the Italian government’s ‘Viaggiare Sicuri’ website.

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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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