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UK drops quarantine for Italy and other European countries

The UK government has lifted its compulsory quarantine requirement for arrivals in England from “lower risk countries” including Italy, Spain, Germany and France.

UK drops quarantine for Italy and other European countries
Passengers arriving at London's Heathrow Airport on July 10th. Photo: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP

As announced last week, from July 10th travellers arriving in England from approved countries no longer need to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival, though restrictions may continue to apply for those arriving in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The exemption applies to all travel to England, by air, train, ferry, coach, or any other route.

READ ALSO: Italy's latest travel rules, explained

The full list of approved countries includes travellers from Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Norway, Greece, the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium and Norway – but not Portugal or Sweden given their recent spike in cases.

These countries have “reciprocal arrangements” in place, meaning travellers from the UK will not have to quarantine on arrival there either.

Italy no longer requires any visitors from the UK, EU or Schengen Zone to quarantine.

Some 59 countries deemed low or very low risk are now exempt from the UK's blanket quarantine rules.

The full list available here is:

The UK’s Department for Transport also said that the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland “will set out their own approach”, meaning the quarantine lifting applied to England alone and that passengers arriving in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland “should ensure they follow the laws and guidance which applies there”.

For more information, see the UK government's travel guidelines.

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STRIKES

UPDATE: Italy’s government postpones nationwide rail strike on Sunday

A 23-hour nationwide rail strike planned for Sunday, May 19th was postponed on Thursday following orders from Italy's transport ministry.

UPDATE: Italy's government postpones nationwide rail strike on Sunday

Passengers travelling across Italy by train were expected to face disruption this weekend as staff at state-owned railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato – which includes Trenitalia, Trenord and Trenitalia Tper – and private company Italo planned to strike from 3am on Sunday, May 19th to 2am on Monday, May 20th, for a total of 23 hours.

But Italy’s transport ministry on Thursday issued an injunction postponing the walkout to a future date, saying that the protest may have resulted in “major repercussions and public order and safety issues” at the Emilia Romagna Formula 1 Grand Prix over the weekend.

READ ALSO: Italy’s national train strike on Sunday postponed after government order

The walkout had been called by the PdM/PdB transport union in mid-April to demand the renewal of collective labour agreements in the rail transport sector.

The planned protest was set to affect all types of rail travel, from long-distance services to regional and local ones, with passengers in multiple areas of the country expected to face delays and/or cancellations. 

Staff at national rail operator Trenitalia, private long-distance operator Italo and regional train companies Trenord and Trenitalia Tper were all expected to take part in the walkout.

As of Friday morning, the PdM/PdB union had not yet issued a response and there was no detail as to when the walkout would take place.

READ ALSO: The transport strikes that will hit travel in Italy in May 2024

Some Italian media reports on Friday said that rail workers may openly challenge the injunction and go ahead with the strike on Sunday, but there was no statement from the PdM/PdB union nor the involved rail operators supporting this claim. 

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

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