Italy to reopen borders to EU tourists from June 3

Rome : Italy will reopen to European tourists from early June and scrap a 14-day mandatory quarantine period, the government said, as it quickened the exit from the coronavirus lockdown.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also said on May 16 that gyms and cinemas would soon be able to welcome the public again, as the government seeks to restart economic activity while treading cautiously amid the lingering, though waning, coronavirus.

“We’re facing a calculated risk in the knowledge that the contagion curve may rise again,” Conte said during a televised address. “We have to accept it otherwise we will never be able to start up again.”

Conte enforced an economically crippling shutdown in early March to counter a pandemic that has so far killed more than 31,500 people in Italy.

The shutdown halted all holidaymaking in a country heavily dependent on the tourism industry.

Although Italy never formally closed its borders and has allowed people to cross back and forth for work or health reasons, it banned movement for tourism and imposed a two-week isolation period for new arrivals.

In March, the European Union banned foreign nationals from entering its Schengen zone, an open border zone comprising 22 of 27 member states, with exceptions for medical workers and essential travel.

But on May 13, the EU set out plans for a phased restart of summer travel, urging member states to reopen its internal borders, while recommending that external borders remain shut for most travel until at least the middle of June.

In a press release, Italy’s government did not explicitly state which foreign nationals would be allowed to enter, but said its new measures respected the “legal order of the European Union”.

Beginning on Jun 3, visitors within the Schengen zone will be allowed to enter Italy with no obligation to self-isolate. Italians will also be able to move between regions, though local authorities can limit travel if infections spike.

The latest decree is also a boon to Italy’s agricultural sector, which relies on roughly 350,000 seasonal workers from abroad.

Restaurants, bars and hairdressers are being allowed to reopen on May 18, two weeks earlier than initially planned.

Shops will also open and Italians will finally be able to see friends, as long as they live within their same region.

Church services will begin again but the faithful will have to follow social distancing rules and holy water fonts will be empty. Mosques will also reopen.

Gyms, pools and sports centers will be able to open up again on May 25, Conte said, provided they respect security protocols.

Theatres and cinemas will be allowed to reopen on Jun 15, he said. Gatherings of large groups are still banned. Source : AFP

Image : Italy’s pristine beaches to see tourists return with electronic tagging system – euronews

May 17 , 2020