Italy to welcome tourists from mid-May with ‘national green pass’
ITALY has said they will be welcoming tourists from mid-May, with its own “national green pass” ahead of the EU’s digital certificate.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi has urged tourists to book their holidays for this month, with “mountains, beaches and cities reopening.”
Speaking at the end of a meeting of tourism ministers from the Group of 20 wealthy nations, Mr Draghi said a European Union health pass scheme would be up and running by the middle of June, but that Italy hopes to have their own by this month.
Mr Draghi said. said: “Waiting for the European Certificate […] we have a national green pass that will enable people to move from region to region and will be operational by mid-May, so let us not wait until mid-June for the EU pass.
“In mid-May tourists can have the Italian pass […] so the time has come to book your holidays in Italy.”
The document would show that someone had either recovered from Covid, has been vaccinated or has tested negative.
It comes as:
- Greece is already welcoming vaccinated Brits back, and will allow NHS vaccine cards
- Portugal will welcome jabbed tourists from mid-May
- Spain has said vaccine passports will be ready by June
- Malta, likely to be on the green list, is opening to vaccinated tourists from June 1
- Cyprus to lift lockdown and welcome vaccinated tourists from May 10
The EU hopes to introduce a vaccine passport “certificate” to allow travel between member states, although new proposals could even mean foreign citizens from countries with a “good epidemiological situation” would be allowed to travel.
However, Italy is unlikely to open up to Brits this month, with the UK government to announce the full list of countries on the quarantine-free “green list” this week.
Countries on the green list will allow Brits to travel abroad from May 17 , and only require two Covid tests on their return.
It’s understood the small green list is likely to include Gibraltar, Malta, Israel and Iceland, while Portugal may also get the nod.
Most of Europe is likely to be on the “amber list” meaning people can visit but they will have to quarantine for ten days when they return to the UK.
It is hoped that this could be lifted from June, allowing holidays to Spain, Greece, Italy and Spain, if Covid cases come down and the vaccine rollout across Europe continues to pick up speed.
Italy’s daily case rate is still high, having reported 9,116 new cases yesterday, although is lower than their peak in March which saw highs of 21,000.
Just 24 per cent of the Italian population has been given the first dose of the vaccine, compared to the UK’s 51 per cent.
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Despite this, the country has started easing its lockdown measures – last week, bars and restaurants reopened, although a 10pm curfew is still in place.
To go on holiday abroad this year, Brits will most likely need to have Covid tests and vaccine passports.
British holidaymakers may need paper Covid vaccine passports to travel abroad because of delays rolling out the scheme digitally.
The government is thought to be planning a free Covid test package which holidaymakers can take abroad with them.
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