Italians have been able to travel all over the country since Wednesday and tourists from the Schengen area are also welcome again. However, other countries are looking with some skepticism at the easing in Italy severely affected by the corona virus.
Neighboring Switzerland announced on Tuesday that it will continue to conduct border controls with Italy indefinitely. Authorities believe it is “too early” to ease restrictions against the southern neighbors.
According to local media The attitude of the Swiss government ensures that their residents can travel to Italy and back, but that Italians can still be refused entry to the border for the time being.
Austria also does not want to think about border easing yet. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told press releases in mid-May that the number of infections in Italy is still too high and that there are health risks for travelers.
Italy reported 75 deaths and over three hundred new infections in the past 24 hours. This increased the total number of cases to 233,500, while at least 33,000 Italians succumbed to COVID-19.
The southern European country has been slowly preparing for the possible arrival of tourists in recent weeks. For example, various tourist attractions, including the Colosseum in Rome, were reopened.
Italian Prime Minister: ‘Relaxations are calculated risk’
Not everyone in Italy is enthusiastic about the possible influx of tourists. Governors are said to have expressed concerns about a possible new contagion wave, as their own residents may also travel across the country.
However, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, when presenting the relaxations, said that the country is taking a “calculated risk”, but that the risk must be taken because otherwise the country will never be able to start up completely.
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