Topline
Italy was the first European country that announced tougher coronavirus requirements Tuesday for American tourists who are entering the country. This comes after the European Union removed America from its safe travel list following a spike in coronavirus cases throughout the U.S.
While walking in Rome's Colosseum, a tourist adjusts her hair.
The Key Facts
The Italian Ministry of Health stated Tuesday that any traveler who arrived in the U.S. within the past two weeks must submit a negative coronavirus testing result within three days of arrival. This applies regardless of whether or not they have been vaccinated. Travelers who have not been vaccinated must be quarantined for five days upon arrival. If their initial test is negative, they will need to be tested again for coronavirus. Tourists are required to complete a passenger locator form. This allows contact tracers and virus cluster identifiers to be able to pinpoint the location of coronavirus outbreaks. These restrictions are also applicable to travelers from Israel, Canada, and Japan who are all currently battling coronavirus outbreaks. The government announced Tuesday that Italy's stricter requirements would continue until Oct. 25. Since Monday's removal of the U.S. from the safe travel list, the 26 EU countries have not yet announced additional restrictions for American tourists. However, other EU countries such as Belgium and Germany already have stricter rules for U.S. citizens.
Big Number
5.6 Million. According to data from Italy, that's the number of Americans who visited Italy in 2019, which was the last calendar year before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Americans are the second largest group of international tourists to Italy after Germans and contribute $2.8 billion to the Italian economic. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, Italy lost $140 billion in 2020 due to tourism's decline during the pandemic.
Important Background
After Monday's EU recommendation, Italy became the first European country that tightened entry requirements for tourists from the United States. This was in direct contradiction to the EU's May announcement that it would recommend American tourist be allowed back for first time since March 2020. It was the previous policy that Italy had for tourists visiting the U.S.A. Unvaccinated tourists were required to pass a negative test, but they did not need to be quarantined. Vaccinated travelers had to only present their vaccination cards. Everybody was still required fill out a passenger locator.
Continue reading
EU To Reinstate Restrictions On Non-Essential U.S. Travelers (Forbes)
