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Italy resumes int’l tourism

Italy: A tour guide explains the background information of the Fontana di Trevi in Rome, Italy, May 15, 2021. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting/IANS)

Many streets, parks and squares in the Italian capital were overwhelmed with visitors over the weekend…reports Asian Lite News

Italy has formally reopened its borders for restriction-free travel for visitors from some countries, almost a year after the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the country.

Many streets, parks and squares in the Italian capital were full of visitors over the weekend, Xinhua news agency reported.

As of Sunday, travellers from European Union (EU) member states, the UK, and Israel have been allowed to enter Italy without restrictions if they could show a recent negative coronavirus test, proof of vaccination, or if they have recovered from the virus in the last six months.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi had announced earlier this month at the G20 Tourism Ministers’ meeting that Italy would begin welcoming foreign tourists in mid-May, about a month before the EU’s own Digital Green Certificate pass for tourists went into effect.

A staff member measures a visitor’s temperature at Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy, on Sept. 4, 2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

Draghi’s decision came as coronavirus indicators such as the infection, hospitalisation, and mortality rates improved over the last month.

The move Draghi announced formally went into effect Sunday for visitors from some countries.

Travellers from other parts of the world can still enter the country as long as they follow quarantine rules on arrival, and those in the country must obey national health restrictions, such as the 10 p.m. national curfew and seating for bars and restaurants limited to outdoor areas.

Meanwhile, predictions are that the tourism sector that accounted for 13 per cent of Italy’s gross domestic product before the pandemic will have to wait until the second half of 2023 to return to 2019 levels.

ALSO READ: Italy crosses 5mn jabs milestone

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Italy crosses 5mn jabs milestone

5mn inoculations made Italy the third European Union (EU) member state to reach that milestone…reports Asian Lite News

Italy’s coronavirus vaccine rollout hit a major milestone, though it appeared unlikely the country would reach its end-of-month target for daily vaccinations.

The country’s Ministry of Health reported on Saturday that five million Italian residents had been fully vaccinated, making Italy the third European Union (EU) member state to reach that milestone, following Germany and France, Xinhua news agency reported.

A total of 17.3 million people in Italy have received at least the first dose of a vaccine, which means that around 28.5 per cent of the country’s population is partially vaccinated.

The Italian vaccine rollout, which was launched on December 27, 2020, had seen problems so far, including a four-day pause in the distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine amid worries about blood clots in some patients.

Earlier this month, the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was halted before it was set to start due to similar safety worries. But the government started limited use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine Wednesday, with more doses expected to arrive next week.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires just one dose for full effect. All the other vaccines approved for distribution in Italy — the AstraZeneca, BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna — require two doses.

Also read:Italy PM receives AstraZeneca jab

Italian General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, the country’s Covid-19 Emergency Commissioner, set a goal earlier this month of administering at least 500,000 jabs a day by the end of April.

That target no longer appears feasible despite recent developments, according to statistician Giovanni Sebastiani, who was quoted by the ANSA news agency as saying the daily vaccination rate should reach 350,000 per day by the end of the month, up from fewer than 300,000 per day currently.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Fabrizio Curcio, head of the country’s civil defence agency, admitted the 500,000-vaccination-per-day goal was unlikely to be met, though he said the target would be reached by early May.

He said his main worry was whether vaccine supplies would allow that level to be sustained.

“We will reach half a million daily shots by early May, but what will matter will be keeping it over time,” Curcio said. “This is crucially linked to the availability of vaccines.”

A staff member measures a visitor’s temperature at Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy, on Sept. 4, 2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)


Curcio said the earlier temporary halt in the distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine “has weighed not only because there have been delays but because it has affected public trust.”

“We measure this loss of confidence with cancellations at around 30 per cent to 40 per cent in some areas, about 10 per cent on average across the country,” he said.

Meanwhile, 275 candidate vaccines are being developed — 91 of them in clinical trials — in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organization on Friday.

Also read:Italy sets out roadmap for reopening

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Italy sets out roadmap for reopening

The move on Wednesday came as the pandemic appears moderately under control in the country, with active coronavirus cases falling,…reports Asian Lite News

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s cabinet has unveiled a roadmap for easing Covid-19 restrictions starting from April 26.

The move on Wednesday came as the pandemic appears moderately under control in the country, with active coronavirus cases falling, reports Xinhua news agency.

The new measures will remain in force until July 31, the date to which the government has extended the state of emergency declared last year at the outbreak of the crisis.

The yellow areas in the government’s three-tiered system would be re-introduced starting from April 26, adding to the orange and red ones, so that Italian regions will again shift periodically from one to another according to local contagion levels.

In the low-risk yellow regions, restaurants and all other food shops will be allowed to serve lunch and dinner outdoors until June 1.

From June 1, indoor services will be allowed, but only until 6 p.m.

Outdoor team sports will resume from April 26, while swimming pools from May 15, and fitness centres from June 1, according to the plan.

All competition sports will resume from June 1, with spectators allowed up to 25 per cent of the full capacity of the facility, but not exceeding 500 people indoors or 1,000 outdoors.

Theatres, cinemas, and other leisure venues will reopen on April 26, with the same cap for capacity.

Under the decree, exhibitions and fairs would restart from June 15, while thermal baths and amusement parks from July 1.

Also read:Johnson in quest for new Covid medicines

Regions in orange or red will remain subject to the current level of restrictions consistent with medium- or high-risk contagion.

Currently, only three regions — southern Apulia, northern Aosta Valley, and Sardinia Island — were red zones.

From April 26 to June 15, people in the yellow regions will be allowed one visit a day to relatives or friends, four adults maximum plus children.

Starting April 26, the current ban on inter-regional travels would not apply to yellow regions. Moving to and from orange and red zones will be possible for those with a “green Covid-19 card” indicating a swab test valid over 48 hours, full vaccination or recovery from the disease in the last six months.

After a robust discussion among the various parties, the cabinet also confirmed the current 10 p.m.-5 p.m. curfew to stay in force at least till June 1.

In May, the reopening roadmap might be adjusted according to the pandemic situation, local media reported.

Italy has so far registered 3,904,899 cases and 117,997 deaths, according to the Health Ministry.

Some 16.1 million vaccine doses have been administered and 4.7 million people fully inoculated, according to latest government statistics.

Also read:Italy PM receives AstraZeneca jab

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Italian PM slams Erdogan as ‘dictator’

Former head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi (Xinhua/Lu Yang/IANS)

Draghi’s remarks came after the visit of EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel to Erdogan on Tuesday…reports Asian Lite News

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “dictator” in front of the press, causing a stir.

Draghi spoke to the press in Rome on Thursday evening about the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel to Erdogan on Tuesday, reports dpa news agency.

Von der Leyen was not given a chair at the meeting, but sat somewhat apart on a sofa.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Draghi classified this as a “humiliation” of the head of the commission.

“I was very displeased for the humiliation that the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen had to suffer.

Also read:Turkey denies snubbing EU chief

“With these dictators, let’s call them what they are – who however are needed – one must be honest in expressing one’s diverging ideas and views about society.

“But one must also be prepared to cooperate with them in the interest of the country. The right balance is needed,” Draghi added.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel meets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara

The choice of the word dictator made many headlines in the Italian media and angered Ankara, with Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoning the Italian ambassador.

“We strongly condemn appointed Italian PM’s unacceptable remarks on our elected President, return the impudent remarks,” Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a tweet.

Also read:Italy PM receives AstraZeneca jab

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G20 Ministers urge continued financial aid

Daniele Franco, Italy’s Minister of Economy and Finance, said confronting the economic damage from the pandemic is the G20’s top priority…reports Asian Lite News

Finance Ministers and central bank governors from the world’s largest economies have agreed on continued financial backing for countries struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic “as long as required”, said the co-chair of a virtual G20 summit.

At the summit on Wednesday, Daniele Franco, Italy’s Minister of Economy and Finance, said confronting the economic damage from the pandemic is the G20’s top priority, reports Xinhua news agency.

Franco said the participants at the second G20 meeting of the year agreed to use “all available policy tools for as long as required” in order to save lives and livelihoods.

Franco also said increasing the global availability of coronavirus vaccines in an “equitable and accessible” way was part of that effort.


G20 Italy(Twitter)

Franco and Ignazio Visco, Governor of the Bank of Italy and the other co-chair of the talks, spoke to more than 100 reporters on Wednesday via video hook-up from Rome.

That was the same format used by Ministers and governors for the negotiations.

Also read:UK to try out ‘Covid status certification’

While the coronavirus pandemic was the central topic at the virtual summit of representatives from 19 major economies and the European Union, discussions also touched on other pressing issues, such as the need for global action on climate change and the development of standards for a global corporate tax rate.


G20 Italy(Twitter)

Franco noted that the International Monetary Fund had just upped its estimate for GDP)growth to 6.0 per cent, up from 5.5 per cent in January.

He said that was a positive sign, but he warned that the global economic outlook remained “clouded by uncertainty” due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Together, G20 countries account for 80 per cent of the world’s GDP

Also read:Covid-19: Social Media Battling Vaccine Uncertainty