Italy Tightens Covid-19 Restrictions
26th November 2021
From December 6th unvaccinated people will be banned from ski lifts and from taking part in a range of leisure activities. A negative test will not be enough for entry to restaurants, cinemas and other venues. NEW
Those people who have not been fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 will be unable to access hotels, gyms, nightclubs, ski lifts and sporting stadiums.
They will not be allowed be served indoors at bars, cafes and restaurants.
The new rules come into force on December 6th and will last in the first instance until January 15th.
They can be extended beyond that date in regions where infection levels and hospital admissions are rising.
The new rules do not apply to under-12s.
The Italian Premier, Mario Draghi, said the measures were necessary to prevent the “slow but steady” increase in infections.
He hopes that the new restrictions would mean a normal Christmas this year for those who are vaccinated, and would give some certainty to the tourist season.
Italy’s ski industry normally generates €1.2 billion and employs 5,000 permanent workers with 10,000 seasonal jobs.
“There is some uncertainty and fear due to the worsening of the pandemic trend, but the resorts in our consortium and across Trentino are prepared to handle different scenarios,” the president of the Skirama consortium, Fabio Sacco.
La Thuille, Aosta Valley, Italy
“The situation is under control, we are in the best situation in Europe thanks to the vaccination campaign which was a remarkable success,” Premier Draghi said in a televised press conference.
Italy has retained strict rules in recent months and not relaxed measures as seen in many European countries.
People have to wear masks indoors and people have to have a health pass to go to work.
Italy currently has 123 confirmed cases per 100,000 of population over a 7-day period.
The figures were published on November 26th.
Austria has the highest of the ski nations at 1,094.
It is 508 in Switzerland and 246 in France.
In the UK it is 450.
Vaccination rates remain good in Italy with 84.1% of people over 12-years old vaccinated.
The booster programme will be rolled out shortly.
The aim of the new measures is to prevent further national or regional lockdowns.
The Health Minister, Roberto Speranza, said that Italy is currently doing better than many of its neighbours in the fight against Covid-19.
He said that the key was taking action that was proactive and preventative.
“Staying in front of the virus is fundamental if you want to keep the situation under control,” he said.
The question everyone wants answered is whether these measures will mean the Italian ski season can go ahead.
The honest answer is that no-one knows.
The measures may be enough to keep the virus under control, but with a new South African variant identified it is simply impossible to predict.
Here at PlanetSKI we have plans to ski in Cervinia from December 12th and are hoping to be based in the Aosta Valley for January and February.
We are watching the situation in Italy closely.
Main image: Cervinia, Aosta Valley, Italy. Image c/o Ski Solutions.
Aosta Valley, Italy. Image © PlanetSKI
