Italy will reopen to international tourists on June 3, the country’s prime minister has announced, easing one of the strictest coronavirus lockdown regimes in the world.
The Italian government announced on Saturday that from June 3 all visitors will be allowed in with no requirement to self-isolate. Italians will also be able to move freely between regions, though local authorities can limit travel if infections begin to spike.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte enforced strict measures from early March in a bid to stem the pandemic which has killed more than 31,500 people in the peninsula – the highest death toll after the United States and Britain.
To the relief of many Italians the country’s beaches began to re-open this weekend.
His approach led to frustration in many of Italy’s regions, with some already allowing businesses to reopen before the restrictions were lifted. Following pressure the government has allowed restaurants, bars and hairdressers to reopen on Monday two weeks earlier than planned.
The government has announced rules allowing restaurants to reopen, including a distance of at least one-metre between patrons, a requirement to take reservations and keep records for at least two weeks and a recommendation to use disposable or electronic menus that can be read on personal devices.
It also recommends but does not require taking temperatures of diners as they arrive.
Shops will also open from Monday and Italians will finally be able to travel to see friends, as long as they live within their same region.
Church services will begin again, but congregations will have to follow social distancing rules and holy water fonts will be empty. Mosques will also reopen, although gatherings of large groups remain banned and schools remain closed.
Antonio our Property Manager adds “the legislation regarding holiday homes and b & b to date is constantly updated. We are waiting for the government and the regions to indicate the ways and specifications to use. Here many operators are having the villas and b & bs sanitized by specialized firms at least once before opening to the public. They issue a sanitation certificate. For the following times we could also do after a thorough cleaning of our cleaner Floriana the sanitation based on the products that the specialized firm will indicate to us. I have already asked Floriana to make a declaration for the products that she uses which I will later indicate to you. I also contacted a local specialist company to issue the sanitation certificate”.
Floriana adds “The cleaning company of Mercurio Floriana declares that to carry out its services it uses products for the ordinary sanitization of the environments, that is: disinfectant floor washers with medical surgical aid, 90 ° ethyl alcohol for cleaning surfaces, handles, doors, bleach and viakal for cleaning the bathrooms, and ammonia for the windows. All done by qualified personnel.”
Back
