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Italy warns against travel abroad as coronavirus numbers rise around Europe

The Italian Foreign Ministry on Monday warned against unnecessary travel abroad, and said it could not rule out new travel restrictions due to the worsening Covid-19 infection rates around Europe.

Published: 26 October 2020 16:36 CET

Italy warns against travel abroad as coronavirus numbers rise around Europe

Travellers at Rome's Fiumicino airport. File photo: AFP

“Given the worsening of the epidemiological situation in Europe, the Foreign Ministry recommends all compatriots avoid travel abroad unless for strictly necessary reasons,” an update on the ministry's website stated on Monday.

MAP: Where are coronavirus rules strictest across Italy?

The ministry also warned that travel to Italy could be complicated by new travel restrictions – as previously happened when the country began to restrict entry from many countries during the initial emergency phase.

“It should also be noted that given the high number of infections in many European countries, future further restrictions on travel cannot be ruled out, which would risk complicating re-entry to Italy,” the ministry warned.

“Similar repatriation problems could arise, with a much more serious impact, in the case of travel to non-EU destinations.”

While Italy currently allows travel from European and Schengen zone countries, travel from many countries outside Europe remains heavily restricted.

READ ALSO: What are the rules on travelling to Italy right now?

Arrivals to Italy from some countries including the UK are subject to mandatory coronavirus testing.

The rules on travel from within Europe could change, depending on the number of infections seen in each country.

While the situation in Italy has worsened dramatically in recent weeks, the infection rate is currently even higher in some neighbouring countries including France and Spain.

The average 14-day Covid-19 case notification rate per 100,000 inhabitants in each European country. Chart: ECDC

For more details on the rules when travelling to or from another country, the Foreign Ministry recommends that travellers check the relevant country information on the government's Viaggiare Sicuri (Safe Travel) website.

Find all The Local's coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy here.

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How is Italy's national public transport strike affecting travel on Friday?

The walkout was set to affect all types of local public transport, from surface services (buses, trams, commuter trains and ferries) to underground metro lines, but wasn’t expected to impact long-distance rail services and taxis.

As it’s often the case with public transport strikes in Italy, the level of disruption faced by passengers was expected to vary from city to city depending on the number of transport workers participating in the protest.

According to Italian media reports, commuters in major cities, including Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice, were all likely to experience at least some level of disruption on Friday, though the strike may also have an impact in smaller cities and towns.

READ ALSO: The transport strikes to expect in Italy in autumn 2024

The protest was called in late June by some of Italy’s largest transport unions to protest against employers’ “unwillingness to open a dialogue on the issues raised by workers” including “a monthly salary increase of 300 euros [and] a reduction of working hours from 39 to 35 per week”.

Guaranteed services

Under national strike laws, public transport companies are required to guarantee the operation of a number of essential services (servizi minimi) during walkouts.

The exact times vary by operator, but usually coincide with peak travel hours.

Milan’s public transport operator ATM said that the strike may affect its trams, buses and metro lines from 8.45am to 3pm, and then from 6pm until end of service.

Services scheduled outside of the above windows were expected to operate as normal.

Rome’s major public transport operator ATAC said in a statement that services scheduled before 8.30am and from 5pm to 8pm would go ahead as normal.

Venice’s public transport operator ACTV published a list of all the water network services that were guaranteed to go ahead on Friday. The list is available here (in Italian).

Florence’s bus operator Autolinee Toscane said it will guarantee services scheduled from 4.15am to 8.14am, and then from 12.30pm to 14.29pm.

Gest, which operates a number of tram lines in Florence, said that services will be guaranteed in the following time slots: from 6.30am to 9.30 am, and from 5pm to 8pm.

In Naples, public transport operator EAV published a list of guaranteed services for each of their lines. See their website for further information.

Tper, which operates buses in the northeastern Emilia Romagna region, said it will guarantee the operation of services scheduled before 8.30am and from 4.30pm to 7.30pm. Services in the provinces of Ravenna, Forli’-Cesena and Rimini were set to go ahead as normal after the areas were hit by severe flooding on Wednesday, unions said.

Palermo’s public transport operator Amat warned that its bus and tram lines may be affected by “potential cancellations and disruption” from 8.30am to 5.30pm, and from 8.30pm to midnight.

For details on guaranteed services in other cities around the country, passengers were advised to check the relevant transport company’s website or social media accounts.

Anyone planning to travel by public transport in Italy on Friday was advised to leave extra time for their journey and check the status of local services with the relevant operator before setting off.

Keep up with the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.

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