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MAP: Which parts of Italy are now Covid-19 ‘white zones’?

As almost all Italian regions are declared low-risk coronavirus 'white' zones from Monday, here's a closer look at what that means for residents and visitors.

Published: 19 May 2021 13:08 CEST
Updated: 19 June 2021 11:02 CEST
MAP: Which parts of Italy are now Covid-19 'white zones'?
Tourists stroll across the Ponte della Paglia bridge by the Doge's palace in Venice. (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP)

This article was last updated on June 19th

Almost all remaining ‘yellow’ zones are being downgraded to the lowest risk classification ‘white’ zone status as of Monday June 21st.

The regions of Tuscany, Marche, Campania, Calabria, Basilicata, Sicily and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano will move from their yellow category, joining the rest of the country’s ‘white zones’.

The only area to remain a ‘yellow zone’ will be the northern region of Valle d’Aosta.

Under ‘white zone’ rules, regions can drop most of the restrictions currently in place in yellow zones, including the midnight curfew and the remaining restrictions on businesses and events.

READ ALSO: Delta variant in Italy: What’s the risk of another Covid-19 surge?

The health ministry confirmed the changes on Friday after its weekly coronavirus monitoring report showed Italy’s coronavirus numbers remained low last week.

Italy is divided into different-coloured zones indicating the level of coronavirus restrictions in place, with ‘red’ being the highest-risk zones, followed by orange and yellow. All regions are currently white or yellow. 

Here’s the picture for Italy’s Covid-19 zones from June 21st:

Red zone: No regions
Orange zone: No regions
Yellow zone: Valle d’Aosta
White zone: Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Molise, Sardinia, Abruzzo, Liguria, Umbria, Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Lombardy, Piedmont, Autonomous Province of Trento, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Marche, Autonomous Province of Bolzano, Sicily, Tuscany.

The map below shows how the country is divided:

What are the ‘white zone’ rules?

Regions are allowed to move into the low-restriction white zone if they have registered fewer than 50 coronavirus cases per 100,000 inhabitants for three weeks consecutively.

They also need to show other positive indicators, including a reproduction rate (Rt) under 1.

Italy in January added the ‘white’ tier to its system of coronavirus restrictions for the parts of the country where the coronavirus risk is lowest. 

So far, only mask-wearing and social distancing rules must remain in place in white zones, the health minister has said.

Regions in the white zone will be able to drop the last remaining restrictions, and reopen trade fairs, theme parks, conferences and indoor swimming pools and hold weddings earlier than planned under the national roadmap for reopening.

For now, nightclubs and discos are still waiting for a firm date for reopening, and it is not known if or when Italy may relax the rules on wearing masks outdoors.

And the final set of rules in each region depends on the local authority, as each is free to impose stricter restrictions than those set by the national government.

The Italian health ministry on Friday meanwhile announced it will reinstate a mandatory quarantine requirement for all UK arrivals from Monday amid concerns about the spreading Delta coronavirus variant.

Member comments

  1. There’s still no availability of free vaccines for everyone. We’ve been unable to apply for ASL due to lockdown.
    Staggering, but not surprising the obstacles to healthcare.

  2. This is not according to the ministero di salute, Piemonte is white as as below

    Complessivamente, quindi, la ripartizione delle Regioni e Province Autonome nelle diverse aree in base ai livelli di rischio a partire dal 7 giugno 2021 è la seguente:

    area rossa: (nessuna Regione e Provincia autonoma)
    area arancione: (nessuna Regione e Provincia Autonoma)
    area gialla: Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Marche, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano, Sicilia, Toscana, Valle d’Aosta
    area bianca: Abruzzo, Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Molise, Piemonte, Provincia Autonoma di Trento, Puglia,Sardegna, Umbria, Veneto

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TRAVEL NEWS

Reader question: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

As European travellers prepare for the introduction of enhanced passport checks known as the Entry & Exit System (EES), many readers have asked us what this means for the '90-day rule' for non-EU citizens.

Published: 1 May 2024 07:18 CEST
Reader question: How do the EU's new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

From the start date to the situation for dual nationals and non-EU residents living in the EU, it’s fair to say that readers of The Local have a lot of questions about the EU’s new biometric passport check system known as EES.

You can find our full Q&A on how the new system will work HERE, or leave us your questions HERE.

And one of the most commonly-asked questions was what the new system changes with regards to the 90-day rule – the rule that allows citizens of certain non-EU countries (including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) to spend up to 90 days in every 180 in the EU without needing a visa.

And the short answer is – nothing. The key thing to remember about EES is that it doesn’t actually change any rules on immigration, visas etc.

Therefore the 90-day rule continues as it is – but what EES does change is the enforcement of the rule.

90 days 

The 90-day rule applies to citizens of a select group of non-EU countries;

Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Macau, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela.

Citizens of these countries can spend up to 90 days in every 180 within the EU or Schengen zone without needing a visa or residency permit.

People who are citizens of neither the EU/Schengen zone nor the above listed countries need a visa even for short trips into the EU – eg an Indian or Chinese tourist coming for a two-week holiday would require a visa. 

In total, beneficiaries of the 90-day rule can spend up to six months in the EU, but not all in one go. They must limit their visits so that in any 180-day (six month) period they have spent less than 90 days (three months) in the Bloc.

READ ALSO How does the 90-day rule work?

The 90 days are calculated according to a rolling calendar so that at any point in the year you must be able to count backwards to the last 180 days, and show that you have spent less than 90 of them in the EU/Schengen zone.

You can find full details on how to count your days HERE.

If you wish to spend more than 90 days at a time you will have to leave the EU and apply for a visa for a longer stay. Applications must be done from your home country, or via the consulate of your home country if you are living abroad.

Under EES 90-day rule beneficiaries will still be able to travel visa free (although ETIAS will introduce extra changes, more on that below).

EES does not change either the rule or how the days are calculated, but what it does change is the enforcement.

Enforcement

One of the stated aims of the new system is to tighten up enforcement of ‘over-stayers’ – that is people who have either overstayed the time allowed on their visa or over-stayed their visa-free 90 day period.

At present border officials keep track of your time within the Bloc via manually stamping passports with the date of each entry and exit to the Bloc. These stamps can then be examined and the days counted up to ensure that you have not over-stayed.

The system works up to a point – stamps are frequently not checked, sometimes border guards incorrectly stamp a passport or forget to stamp it as you leave the EU, and the stamps themselves are not always easy to read.

What EES does is computerise this, so that each time your passport is scanned as you enter or leave the EU/Schengen zone, the number of days you have spent in the Bloc is automatically tallied – and over-stayers will be flagged.

For people who stick to the limits the system should – if it works correctly – actually be better, as it will replace the sometimes haphazard manual stamping system.

But it will make it virtually impossible to over-stay your 90-day limit without being detected.

The penalties for overstaying remain as they are now – a fine, a warning or a ban on re-entering the EU for a specified period. The penalties are at the discretion of each EU member state and will vary depending on your personal circumstances (eg how long you over-stayed for and whether you were working or claiming benefits during that time).

ETIAS 

It’s worth mentioning ETIAS at this point, even though it is a completely separate system to EES, because it will have a bigger impact on travel for many people.

ETIAS is a different EU rule change, due to be introduced some time after EES has gone live (probably in 2025, but the timetable for ETIAS is still somewhat unclear).

It will have a big impact on beneficiaries of the 90-day rule, effectively ending the days of paperwork-free travel for them.

Under ETIAS, beneficiaries of the 90-rule will need to apply online for a visa waiver before they travel. Technically this is a visa waiver rather than a visa, but it still spells the end of an era when 90-day beneficiaries can travel without doing any kind of immigration paperwork.

If you have travelled to the US in recent years you will find the ETIAS system very similar to the ESTA visa waiver – you apply online in advance, fill in a form and answer some questions and are sent your visa waiver within a couple of days.

ETIAS will cost €7 (with an exemption for under 18s and over 70s) and will last for three years.

Find full details HERE. 

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