Italian authorities revealed on Monday that the country intends to waive all entry rules for all travelers wishing to enter the country.
The news was announced by the Minister of Health of Italy, Roberto Speranza. He said that the current requirement to present a COVID permit on arrival in Italy will not be extended when it expires on May 31.
According to the minister's statement, from 1 June, all travelers, regardless of their country of origin, will no longer be required to hold a valid vaccination, recovery or testing certificate when they arrive in Italy.
This means that as soon as the new measure enters into force, everyone will be allowed to enter without restrictions. However, the Italian authorities have not yet officially confirmed the lifting of the entry rules.
Italy is one of the EU countries that has maintained the strictest restrictions due to the high rates of infection it recorded in the early stages of the pandemic.
To date, all travelers have been required to present a vaccination certificate stating that the holder has carried out the primary vaccination in the last nine months or has received a booster vaccination. Italy has also accepted recovery certificates proving that the holder has recovered from COVID in the last nine months, and has accepted the results of the COVID-19 tests.
However, with the summer travel season approaching and most other EU / EEA countries giving up entry rules, Italy has decided to do the same. In addition, it is believed that the decision of the Italian authorities to abandon the entry rules with COVID-19 also comes from low infection rates as well as high vaccination rates.
While the Italian authorities have yet to confirm the lifting of the COVID entry rules, a total of 19 EU / EEA countries have already dropped all restrictions. Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland have eliminated all rules so far. All travelers are allowed to enter these countries without restriction.