Italy will re-open its borders on June 3 in a ‘calculated risk’ to rescue its tourism industry after the coronavirus crisis.
Travel restrictions will be lifted from that date and EU nationals will be allowed to enter the country without going into quarantine.
Prime minister Giuseppe Conte admitted that the move was a ‘risk’ but said ‘we have to accept it because otherwise we will never get started again’.
Tourism normally accounts for 13 per cent of Italian GDP, but the country has been under emergency measures for longer than anywhere else in Europe.
Italy yesterday recorded its fewest daily deaths (145) since March 9 and its fewest new infections (675) since March 4 in the latest sign that the crisis is easing.
People cycle along a street in Milan yesterday as life starts to return to normal in Italy – with borders set to be re-opened on June 3
People gather in Virgiliano Park in Naples yesterday, as Italy takes a major step out of lockdown by re-opening shops and restaurants today
Shops, bars and restaurants are re-opening today along with churches such as St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, and people no longer need to provide a reason for travel within their own region.
‘People will be able to go wherever they want – to a shop, to the mountains, to a lake or the seaside,’ Conte announced at the weekend.
Longer-distance travel will remain restricted until after a national holiday on June 2, in order to stop a spike in infections over the long weekend.
But from June 3, all travel curbs will be lifted and EU travellers will be able to enter Italy without going into quarantine.
‘We hope to work with the neighbouring countries, those who can travel by car,’ said Gianni Serandrei, the owner of a hotel near St Mark’s Square in Venice.
Stricter measures could be re-introduced on a regional basis if there is a surge in new cases, Italy’s health ministry said.
Some €100billion (£89billion) in tourism revenue could be lost as holidaymakers stay away this summer, according to think-tank Nomisma.
The think-tank says that around 500,000 summer jobs could be at risk this year due to the fallout from the virus.
Two women wearing masks walk through a shopping gallery in Milan yesterday which has often been completely deserted in recent weeks
Italy’s national hotel federation said that by April the sector had already shed 106,000 jobs.
The country’s national tourism agency Enit said it would take three years for the industry to recover to 2019 levels.
The tourism industry is also facing higher costs because buildings will have to be sanitised and beaches supervised to stop people getting too close.
Possible health measures include apps and booking systems to limit the number of people visiting a beach at any one time.
Italy’s European neighbours are also urging caution about tourism, with Britons still advised against any non-essential travel.
Germany, which is a four-hour drive from Italy, is instructing citizens not to travel abroad for tourism until at least June 15.
Italy is also hoping to encourage domestic tourism, offering vouchers to lower-income families to spend in Italian hotels and campsites.
The wider Italian economy is facing a severe recession and public debt is expected to spiral to more than 150 per cent of its annual economic output.
Cyclists and pedestrians on a piazza in Rome yesterday, with Italy hoping to revive its tourism sector by re-opening borders in June
Italy yesterday announced only 675 new cases of coronavirus, the lowest daily figure since March 4 – six days before the lockdown began.
The total number of infections rose from 224,760 to 225,435, while the number of people currently sick has fallen below 70,000.
The daily death toll was 145, the lowest since March 9, bringing the total from 31,763 to 31,908.
Only 762 people are currently in intensive care, a figure which was higher than 4,000 at the height of the crisis.
Large public gatherings are still banned, but churches and other places of worship can now re-open along with museums and galleries.
St Peter’s Basilica was among the churches which re-opened today, although Pope Francis is not expected to greet worshippers inside or in St Peter’s Square.
‘I share the joy of those communities who can finally reunite as liturgical assemblies, a sign of hope for all society,’ Francis said during a live-streamed prayer.
Visitors wearing face masks had their temperatures taken before entering the basilica, which has been closed since March 10.
Gyms, swimming pools and sports centres will reopen on May 25, while theatres and cinemas can reopen from June 15.
People with virus symptoms will have to remain in isolation and social distancing rules will continue to apply, and people are still advised to wear masks inside or on crowded streets.