Italy completely reopens to holiday makers from across Europe TODAY with no coronavirus quarantines
ITALY has completely reopened to holiday makers from across Europe today with no coronavirus quarantines in place.
Three months after the tourist hotspot closed its borders in a strict nation-wide lockdown, travellers from most European countries will be allowed in with flights scheduled to depart from Heathrow and Manchester today.
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Three airports - Rome, Milan and Naples - will resume international arrivals although the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office still advises against all but essential travel abroad.
Once in Italy, travellers will need to adhere to the restrictions imposed on all Italians which include observing social distance, wearing a mask in public, and a ban on large gatherings.
QUARANTINE LIFTED
Quarantine regulations are being lifted across the country which means holidaygoers could take a flight from the UK to Rome or Milan and move freely between regions by heading to the coast or the picturesque Italian Lakes.
From today, hotels, B&Bs and campsites are all open as the majority of lockdown restrictions are finally lifted.
The rolling hills of Tuscany - a popular spot for Brits - are just a short drive from Rome, and all museums and galleries have reopened - although booking in advance is advisable.
Hotels in Rome, Florence and Milan are open and desperate for business after being closed to guests for more than two months.
Previously booked out for the summer, only 40 of Rome's 1,200 hotels have reopened, the Corriere della Sera newspaper said Monday, and just a dozen in Milan.
The costs of opening are simply too high for them to just stand empty.
"My hoteliers all want to reopen, but as long as the borders remain closed, it's not possible," Marco Michielli, deputy head of hoteliers' association Federalberghi, said Saturday.
Restaurants, cafes and beach establishments have slowly reopened over the past two weeks.
TOURISM REVIVAL
The European nation is now desperately trying to revive its tourism industry in time for the lucrative summer season.
Italy's ambassador to the UK Raffaele Trombetta said on Twitter: "There is always a large number of British tourists coming to Italy, it's one of Britain's preferred destinations.
"We had 40 million trips from the UK to Italy last year. We know how much they love Italy. We are still open, welcoming them.
"We believe that this pandemic is a global problem so the best thing to do is to tackle it with a coordinated approach."
Italy is still reporting dozens of new cases a day, particularly in the northern Lombardy region, and experts warn the government still needs to be cautious in permitting travel between regions and abroad.
The numbers of the deaths stands at 33,530 and more than 233,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
How Europe is opening up to tourists
France
Its borders are currently closed to non-residents but from June 15 EU tourists will be able to return.
Spain
Tourists will be welcomed back from July but some popular destinations may allow them from mid-June.
Portugal
Tourists can return from this weekend but face health checks at airports and the country is looking for a quarantine deal with the UK.
Italy
European tourists will be welcomed again from Wednesday June 03 and restrictions on internal travel will also be lifted
Greece
Some tourists from European countries on an approved list will be allowed in from mid-June but Brits are likely be excluded at the beginning
Croatia
Tourists will be allowed from June 15 but only from countries deemed safe with Brits likely to be initially excluded
Brits also face being quarantined for 14 days on arrival back in the UK, though those rules will only apply from June 8.
Before then, travellers are merely being asked to quarantine with no spot-checks or penalties for breaking the rules.
The UK government is currently under pressure to lift its 14-day quarantine regulations after 40 MPs including seven former ministers have joined tourism chiefs to call for the restriction to be lifted.
From June 8, anyone arriving in the UK faces a £1,000 fine if they do not self-isolate for two weeks — including holidaymaking Brits coming back to the country.
Airline groups have warned it will further squeeze them after months of planes being near-empty and routes cancelled.
And other European nations have warned that the moves will hamper plans for Brits to go abroad and for their citizens to visit the UK too this summer.
While Italy is opening up its doors to Brits, Spain is remaining cautious to UK travellers despite saying it would lift its 14-day quarantine for foreign tourists by June 21.
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Spanish Tourism Minister Maria Reyes Maroto said yesterday holidaymakers from Germany and some Nordic countries were in the running to be allowed to take part in pilot schemes in places like the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands.
In a slap-down for the UK's hopes of being among the first nations to return to the Spanish Costas, she said: “There the health situation still has to improve.
“For us it is important to guarantee that people arrive healthy and leave healthy.”
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