Italy reopens: Restrictions are eased after three months of lockdown with people free to fly from June 3 and shops set to reopen on Monday!
* Italy will be open to European tourists from June 3 after three-month lockdown
* Regions could also reopen their economy fully under strict safety measures
* Country did not specify which foreign nationals would be allowed to enter Italy
* In a press release, the government said it respected the 'legal order' of the EU
Italy will reopen to European tourists from June 3 and scrap a 14-day mandatory quarantine period, the government said on Saturday, as it accelerated its exit from the coronavirus lockdown.
The move will also apply to countries in the Schengen Area, and comes as the Italian government announced plans to also lift some travel restrictions on people within the country.
Prime Minister Giuseppe 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 Prime Minister has resisted calls from some regions to open sooner, and has instead lifted measures gradually fearing a second wave of the virus.
From the same date, regions will be allowed to reopen all sectors of the economy, providing strict safety and social distancing measures are observed.
This includes restaurants so long as customers are kept one meter apart, with staff wearing mandatory face masks. Customers will also be required to wear face masks if they are not sitting at tables.
Shops in Italy are set to reopen on May 18, and people will be allowed to move freely within individual regions, allowing people to visit their friends.
Italy is holding off lifting travel restrictions further until after its June 2 Republic Day in an attempt to limit any mass travel over the long holiday weekend.
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 Wednesday, 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 June 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.
Movements to and from abroad can be limited by regional decree 'in relation to specific states and territories, in accordance with the principles of adequacy and proportionality to the epidemiological risk', the government said.
The latest decree is also a boon to Italy's agricultural sector, which relies on roughly 350,000 seasonal workers from abroad.
Farming lobby group Coldiretti said farms were already preparing to organise some 150,000 workers from places including Romania, Poland and Bulgaria.
Elsewhere, in France, hundreds of beaches reopened today as residents flocked to seasides for a swim.
There is a strict ban on sunbathing, among other restrictions, as the country eases its lockdown measures after the government gave them the green light to do so.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, visiting a beach in Normandy, warned 'we won't hesitate' to close beaches if rules aren't respected.
Beachgoers can take a dip but cannot lay in the sun or picnic in the sand. Social distancing rules must be maintained and groups must be limited to no more than 10 people.
Some regions, like the Pas de Calais and Le Nord, gave the go-ahead for boats, with restrictions, while those living in Marseille must wait until the start of June to enjoy the 21 beaches in the area.
Beaches in Italy also opened on Saturday, but gatherings of large groups are still banned across the nation.
The peak of Italy's contagion passed at the end of March but with experts warning a second wave cannot be ruled out, Conte had been reluctant to lift the lockdown quickly.
His approach frustrated many of Italy's regions, with some already allowing businesses to reopen before the restrictions were lifted.
Restaurants, bars and hairdressers are being allowed to reopen on Monday, 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.
As of May 16, Italy had recorded 224,760 cases of coronavirus, with 31,763 related deaths.
The number of deaths recorded over the past 24 hours was just 153.
The last time the death count was that low was March 9, the day after the nationwide lockdown was announced.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8325987/Restrictions-eased-Italy-three-months-lockdown-people-free-fly-June-3.html
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Topic: Italy reopens (Read 940 times)
December 02, 2011, 02:15:38 am