Italy Plans to Eliminate COVID-19 Restrictions
Italy will gradually phase out its COVID-19 restrictions, the government announced on 17 March, becoming the latest European destination to ditch pandemic-related measures.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi confirmed on Thursday evening that his cabinet had signed off on the ‘reopening decree’, containing the timeline for easing the nation’s Covid restrictions
In keeping with the timeline, its super ‘green pass' will no longer be required to access places like restaurants and public transportation by 1 May. The pass is currently issued to people who are fully vaccinated or who have contracted COVID-19 and recovered.
“The Green Pass was a great success, allowing our economy to start up again and recover,”
“Decisions have been made based on science… We took fundamental steps towards reopening, but we are of course keeping a very close watch on the epidemic curve and stand ready to adapt all our system depending on how the epidemic curve evolves, also introducing broader measures if necessary.”
Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi
Italy’s indoor mask mandate is expected to end on 30 April.
In addition to allowing the Green Pass to lapse, Italy will also allow its state of emergency to expire on 31 March 31.
The decision to lift COVID-19-related curbs comes just weeks after Italy dropped pre-arrival testing requirements for vaccinated travellers, allowing them to enter the country by simply showing they have been fully vaccinated within nine months or received a booster shot.
Italy also allows unvaccinated travellers to enter if they show they have either recovered from COVID-19 within six months, show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of their trip, or show proof of a negative rapid test taken within 48 hours of their trip.
All travellers must fill out a Passenger Locator Form before arriving in the country.
Italy’s Covid Situation
COVID-19 cases are currently increasing in Italy with the country reporting an average of more than 61,600 new infections each day. But that is far below the peak in January when daily cases topped more than 200,000.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified Italy under “Level 4,” its highest travel warning, and told Americans to “avoid” going there due to “very high” levels of COVID-19 transmission.
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