The European Union has been in discussions of late over the rising Delta variant of Covid 19 and the threat being imposed on the continent by international travelers.
The EU has removed the U.S from its safe list of countries due to the steadily rising number of cases being seen in the country. Their safe travel list requires nations to have fewer than 75 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. The U.S has a far higher number than that. It has been recommended that Americans be banned from the EU member states.
While Italy isn’t going as far as to ban travelers from the U.S., they have heeded some of the EU president’s advice and increased travel restrictions on U.S tourists entering their country, making it one of the first EU countries to swing into action. This is likely because Italy is a U.S. tourism hotspot and because the good work Italy has done to flatline their rising cases.
New regulations for Americans planning to visit the Coliseum, a certain leaning tower or the canals of Venice (or any other inch of Italy) or any traveler who has entered the United States for any amount of time in the two weeks prior to entering Italy will need to present a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arriving in Italy. This is regardless of vaccination status.
Unvaccinated travelers arriving from the U.S. will be mandated to quarantine for five days upon arrival and will endure a second PCR or antigen test after that period. This will be at the traveler’s cost and will set the individual back somewhere between $25 and $75 USD.
Children under the age of 6 do not need to present a negative PCR test upon arrival but will be made to self-isolate. An exemption to this rule (for any U.S.-based traveler under 18) is if they are traveling with an adult in possession of an EU Green Pass.
These new rules will also apply to travelers coming in from other Delta variant hotspots: Canada, Japan, and Israel.
The restrictions will be in place until October 25th at the latest, according to the Italian government while internal restrictions could last far longer. Currently, to access any sort of restaurant, public transit, tourism spots, festivals and gyms, etc. in Italy, proof of vaccine must be presented.
It is unknown yet if other European Union countries will follow suit and impose the same entry restrictions as Italy, however some nations, including Germany and Belgium, have always held stricter entry requirements for U.S travelers.
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