Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

HEALTH

Covid-19: Italian cities to crack down on crowds as ‘yellow weekend’ begins

With Covid rules relaxed and mild weather forecast, authorities in Italy's major cities have announced measures intended to stop crowds forming this weekend.

Published: 5 February 2021 17:29 CET
Covid-19: Italian cities to crack down on crowds as 'yellow weekend' begins
Shoppers on Rome's Via del Corso on Friday, February 5th. Photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP

.After scenes of packed streets and squares across Italy last weekend, local authorities insist they’ll do everything possible to keep crowds under control this time after measures were relaxed further.

The coming weekend is the first that most of Italy has been under ‘yellow zone’ restrictions – the most relaxed possible under Italy’s tiered system of coronavirus rules – since December.

Crowds are expected to descend on nightlife hotspots to enjoy the mild weather and increased freedoms, including being allowed to travel freely within the region,

REMINDER: What are the rules in Italy's Covid-19 'yellow zones'?

While restaurants must close from 6pm, there were crowded scenes on the main shopping streets of major cities on Friday evening.

But after Italian media published photos of crowds, parties and violence breaking out in the streets of major cities last weekend – when many areas were downgraded from red to orange zones – there are concerns that the same thing may happen again.

Milan has announced an increased number of “clearly visible” police checks in the city centre, where large crowds were reported last weekend in the Navigli area, Corso Como, Corso Garibaldi, and other parts of the city centre.

In Rome, police said they will limit crowds on the Ostia seafront and in other areas associated with nightlife in the capital including Trastevere, the ‘Tridente’ area and Piazza Bologna.

In Florence, mayor Dario Nardella signed an ordinance banning parking in central areas of the city thought to be at risk of crowding.

Anyone violating rules – from the mask requirement when in public, to opening hours for bars and restaurants – risks being fined between 400 and 1,000 euros.

In yellow zones, bars and restaurants can stay open until 6pm, including on Sundays. Takeaway service is allowed until 10pm for restaurants and until 6pm for bars.

The evening curfew remains in place from 10pm-5am across the whole country.

A ban on non-essential travel between regions remains in place, regardless of zone colour.

Cinemas, theaters, betting halls, game rooms, discos, ballrooms, concert halls, gyms, swimming pools, theme parks, spas and wellness centers remain closed.

Please note that different regions of Italy may have additional local restrictions. Check the latest rules where you are: find out how to do that here.
 
For more information please see the Italian Health Ministry's website (in English).

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

BREXIT

‘In the dark’: Why Brits in Italy are still unable to prove rights to free healthcare

Despite UK and Italian authorities confirming that British residents covered by post-Brexit rules are entitled to healthcare in Italy, many still face "significant problems" in accessing it, the British government has said.

Published: 22 May 2024 13:38 CEST
Updated: 23 May 2024 11:57 CEST
'In the dark': Why Brits in Italy are still unable to prove rights to free healthcare

Cancer patients are among those in need of treatment but unable to access the Italian national health service amid confusion over post-Brexit rules, campaigners say, after clarifications from the UK and Italian governments have so far failed to resolve bureaucratic deadlocks at local authority level.

Since the end of the Brexit transition period in 2021, many British nationals resident in Italy covered by the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) have reported difficulties in proving their right to free healthcare under the Italian public system.

The problem was exacerbated this year after the Italian government in January hiked the minimum annual fee for ‘voluntary’ healthcare registration from €387 to €2,000, which many said they were unable to pay.

The British government in February stepped in to clarify that UK nationals covered by the WA should not be subject to charges for healthcare, and on its Living in Italy website it advised those affected to show their local health authority office (Azienda Sanitaria Locale, or ASL) an official note published by the Italian health ministry on February 15th which sets out their rights (find it here, in Italian.)

WA beneficiaries “can compulsorily enrol (iscrizione obbligatoria) with the Italian National Health System,” states the final section, pointing out that the deal, “in Article 23, provides for equal treatment with domestic nationals.”

But for some local health officials, even this written confirmation does not appear to be enough to clear up the confusion.

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

The UK government on Friday, May 17th, updated its guidance to say it had become aware that “some beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement are facing significant problems accessing health services and renewing their healthcare cards,” despite its advice to show local health authorities the official note.

British nationals continue to report that local health authorities around Italy remain unwilling to issue them with a health card, while campaigners say the situation is further complicated for some by the fact that Italian authorities have also refused to issue proof of their permanent residency status, which entitles them to free healthcare.

This was the case for Graham Beresford, a British citizen living in Abruzzo who has been diagnosed with a rare cancer and remains unable to access the free healthcare he is entitled to, as he says local authorities don’t understand the post-Brexit rules.

Graham told The Local in April that the government’s clarifications on the issue had made little difference – his ASL continues to demand he pay the 2,000-euro charge.

READ ALSO: Can I get a refund after wrongly paying Italy’s €2,000 healthcare fee?

“Every time I go to my ASL 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.”

Graham’s story was reported in The Guardian on May 12th ahead of UK foreign secretary David Cameron’s first major meeting with European commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič to discuss post-Brexit relations.

Campaigners also wrote to Cameron in April to appeal for help with the “desperate” situation faced by those unable to access care in Italy.

In its update to the Living in Italy website on Friday, the British government stated: “Since [the health ministry’s note] was published, and particularly in recent days and weeks, it has become clear to us that not all Italian authorities are consistently following this guidance.”

“We are urgently speaking to all relevant parts of the Italian government to clarify the situation so that we can give clear advice to those affected as soon as possible. 

“We also know that this problem is linked to the many difficulties some are experiencing with obtaining an attestazione di soggiorno permanente and/or the Carta di Soggiorno permanente. We are working to help with these issues too.

“We will update this page as soon as we have further news.”

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

Clarissa Killwick from Beyond Brexit, a group for UK citizens in Italy, said the situation “should never have been allowed to happen” and that there had been “a series of communication failures and inconsistencies.”

“We’re not far short of five months after the introduction of the €2,000 new minimum for voluntary contributions and there is still no clarity,” she added.

“There are fraught exchanges in public offices because people on both sides of the counter are in the dark or with conflicting information.

“People need information they can rely on, unequivocally. What do you say to someone who is waiting for an operation but has no idea what is going on?”

SHOW COMMENTS