Clearer rules in view of the relaunch of tourism: the provisions on the so-called Covid-free corridors have been formalized. No fiduciary isolation upon returning to Italy from one of the extra-EU destinations provided in the Covid-free tourist corridors established by the Ministry of Health, but there is an obligation to carry out the test with a molecular or antigenic swab departing from Italy and in arrival on the national territory. Furthermore, if the stay in the foreign country is longer than 7 days, a test is required to be carried out during the period of stay. The subjects are exempted from fiduciary isolation by presenting a negative test carried out in the previous 48 hours upon boarding from the foreign country and making a further test on arrival at the domestic airport.
We received the immediate reaction of the president and CEO of the Alpitour group, Gabriele Burgio, number one in the sector in Italy: “Today is an important day, because after a year and a half some destinations outside the EU are finally open again. It is obviously a point of departure. departure, since only six destinations are open, including Maldives, Mauritius, Dominican Republic and Egypt, limited to the tourist areas of Sharm El Sheikh and Marsa Alam. Now it is necessary to continue on this path and make sure that this is the first step for the overall reopening of all international destinations: we have reached an excellent percentage of vaccinated people and a protocol has been finalized to protect those who choose to leave on an organized trip. A few hours after the announcement, we are already seeing a good response on our systems: + 30% of quotations, + 400% of orders in the Maldives, + 200% of orders in the Dominican Republic and Egypt. There is still a lot of work to do, the touring machine is full of services and you can’t turn the light on or off, but we are very happy with this first opening ”.
But what do the new rules say? Covid-free corridors are considered to be all routes departing and arriving on the national territory aimed at allowing the realization of controlled tourist trips, including the stay in selected accommodation facilities, according to specific health safety measures suitable to guarantee that the services used are rendered. in compliance with the rules and precautions for the prevention of the risk of contagion from Covid-19 “, we read in article 1 of the ordinance just signed.” They are authorized to move for tourism reasons “, the document reads,” only subjects with one of the Covid-19 green certifications or equivalent certifications according to current legislation “.
Those departing from the national territory – continues the ordinance – “are required to present to the carrier, at the time of boarding, and to anyone appointed to carry out the checks, the certification of having undergone forty-eight hours prior to departure to a molecular or antigenic test, carried out by means of a swab with a negative result, as well as to undergo, if the stay in the foreign State is equal to or greater than seven days, to further molecular or antigenic test to be carried out during the period of stay “. Persons returning to the national territory “are exempted from compliance with health surveillance and fiduciary isolation obligations if they have presented, at the time of boarding, and to the person in charge of checks the certification attesting to the negative outcome of a test molecular or antigenic on arrival carried out in the forty-eight hours prior to boarding and undergo a further molecular or antigenic test upon arrival at the national airport “. As for tour operators, “they are required to ensure compliance with the safety measures” indicated in a document that is part of the ordinance itself. “The ordinance enters into force on the day of its publication in the Official Gazette and in any case no later than January 31, 2022.