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TRAVEL: Italy added to UK’s Covid-19 quarantine list as new cases rise

Travellers to the UK from Italy will have to quarantine from Sunday under new rules.

Published: 15 October 2020 18:10 CEST

TRAVEL: Italy added to UK's Covid-19 quarantine list as new cases rise

Travellers at Rome's Fiumicino airport. File photo: AFP

Passengers arriving in Britain from Italy will have to self-isolate for 14 days from this weekend, the UK government said on Thursday as it updated its coronavirus travel list.

The quarantine requirement for travellers from Italy, San Marino and the Vatican State applies across the UK from 4:00 am (0300 GMT) on Sunday,

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.

TRAVEL CORRIDOR UPDATE: We are REMOVING ITALY, Vatican City state & San Marino from the #TravelCorridor list.

However, note that the implementation date is moved to 4am on SUNDAY 18 October & applies UK wide, if you arrive from these destinations you will need to self-isolate.

— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) October 15, 2020

But those coming to England from the Greek island of Crete will no longer have to self-isolate, according to the new list.

Italy joined other major tourist destinations on the list, including France and Spain, as a second wave of coronavirus sweeps Europe and triggers stricter

halth measures.

“Data has indicated the weekly cases and test positivity are increasing in Italy and so ministers have taken the decision to remove the destinations

(from the safe list),” the transport ministry said in a statement.

On October 7th, Italy made it mandatory for all arrivals from the UK to undergo testing for Covid-19 due to the UK's current infection rate.

Italy on Thursday reported a new record high daily number of new coronavirus cases, with 8,804 recorded within 24 hours.

The number of deaths doubled, from 42 on Wednesday to 84 on Thursday.

The number of coronavirus patients in intensive care in Italy rose by 47 to a total of 586.

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What to expect from Italy’s nationwide rail strike on Sunday

Anyone planning to travel by train this weekend could face delays or cancellations as staff at state-owned railway operators Trenitalia, Trenord and Trenitalia Tper plan to strike from 3am on Sunday, June 16th to 2am on Monday, June 17th, for a total of 23 hours.

The walkout was called by the PdM/PdB transport union in early May to demand the renewal of collective labour agreements in the rail transport sector.

Originally scheduled for Sunday, May 19th, the protest was later postponed to June 16th following a government injunction citing public safety concerns due to an overlap with the Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix.

While rail companies are legally required to guarantee the operation of a number of minimum services (servizi minimi) during strikes taking place on weekdays, there’s no such requirement for weekend walkouts.

This means that operators are free to decide whether or not to guarantee minimum services for passengers.

Trenitalia

National rail operator Trenitalia said in a statement that their services “may experience cancellations or changes” for the entire length of the strike, though the protest may also “result in service variations both before its start and after its end”.

Trenitalia said it will operate a number of minimum services during the walkout. These are available here.

READ ALSO: The transport strikes to expect in Italy in summer 2024

The operator advised passengers planning to travel on Sunday to check the status of their journey via the Infomobilità section of their website, their mobile app, or by calling toll-free number 800 89 20 21.

Passengers who have booked Intercity or Frecce journeys for Sunday and wish to cancel their trips will have until the scheduled departure time to request a refund.

Passengers who have purchased regional train tickets will have to submit their refund requests by midnight on Saturday.

Trenord

Trenord, which operates a number of regional trains in the Lombardy region, including links to and from Milan’s Malpensa Airport, said that the walkout “may have repercussions” on all of their scheduled services.

People board a regional train at Milan's Stazione Centrale

People board a regional train at Milan’s Stazione Centrale. Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP

Trenord will not operate minimum services during the strike. However, should airport link services be cancelled, replacement buses will run the same routes.

See Trenord’s website or mobile app for the latest updates.

Trenitalia Tper

Trenitalia Tper, which operates a number of trains in the Emilia-Romagna region, said that their services “may experience cancellations or changes” due to the walkout.

Passengers travelling before the start or after the end of the protest may also face disruption, the statement said.

Trenitalia Tper will guarantee the operation of a number of minimum services (servizi minimi) during the day. These can be consulted here.

See their website for the latest updates.

Italo

A statement from Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, which owns and manages all of Italy’s railway network, said the walkout will only involve staff at state-owned operators Trenitalia, Trenitalia Tper and Trenord, meaning that scheduled services from private long-distance operator Italo will go ahead as normal on Sunday.

What to do if your train is cancelled

If a pre-booked rail service is cancelled due to strike action in Italy, passengers are normally allowed to travel on other equivalent services or are entitled to a refund.

Passengers travelling with Trenitalia can request a refund either at the station or by completing this web form, whereas Italo generally issues refunds automatically.

Keep up with the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.

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