With the beginning of this week, most of Italy is in a “white zone”, the area with the least restrictions from coronavirus. The white zone is the last stage after the yellow, orange and red zones (in order of severity), according to national regulations. For the white zone to be enacted, a region must register fewer than 50 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants per day over a three-week period.
Roughly 69% of the Italian population (40 million people) now enjoy almost complete freedom from Covid restrictions. The last regions to be added to the white list are Lombardy, Lazio, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Puglia and the province of Trento. The white zone carries the following rules: the curfew is lifted (while active between 12 AM and 5 AM in the yellow areas), and there are no restrictions when it comes to bars and restaurants , which can now receive customers at their premises. , both indoors and outdoors. If you are sitting indoors, the only limitation is that a maximum of 6 people is allowed at each table. In the white zone it is also allowed to reopen swimming pools, beauty centers, gambling places, theme parks and cultural and social centers. Private meetings are allowed, although attendees must be vaccinated or have a negative test result within 48 hours. Apart from these, the only restrictions that remain in force are the criterion of a distance of 1 meter and the obligation to wear a mask in public places, both indoors and outdoors.
This is how the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, commented on the situation: “Currently, Italy has some of the best figures in terms of contagion levels. This is a promising result that allows us to look forward with more confidence. We need to insist in this direction and act cautiously and gradually. Today more than ever it is essential to maintain proper habits, so as not to endanger the sacrifices we have made ”.
With the Green Pass about to be implemented at the European level and the opening of travel possibilities between countries, Italy is looking towards the holiday period with optimism. According to a recent survey by the Italian statistics agency Istat, around 50.1% of Italians plan to travel during the summer holidays. Approximately 33.3% of Italians will stay in their region of residence, while 63.6% will go to a different one. Only 6.2% of them plan to travel abroad. Last year, due to the pandemic, Italy lost 53 billion euros (64 billion dollars) in tourism, which represents around 13% of the country’s GDP as a sector.
According to statements by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Europe should open up to the United States during the summer, although the president of the Commission did not give further details. “The time has come for you to book your vacation in Italy and of course we are looking forward to welcoming you back,” Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi told his foreign colleagues during the G20 meeting last month. However, the situation regarding travel abroad is still uncertain and many are now calling for clearer measures. “In this climate of uncertainty, I believe that Italy should organize as soon as possible, establish rules [of stay] on its territory and clearly communicate them to the English-speaking countries and the Middle East, where the majority of people are now vaccinated. “Luca Finardi, vice president of the Mandarin Oriental luxury hotel group in Italy, told Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper. Specifically, hotel owners are asking “to let those who come from these countries enter the European Green Pass scheme as well. There are some Covid-free flights, but they are already full. Our proposal is to eliminate the quarantine measures for those who have a valid vaccination certificate, as Spain and France will begin to do in the coming days, ”Finardi reported.
