Italy is in total lockdown now
Dec 10th, 2020, 08:17 AM
#202
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Delta is supposedly offering direct flights from Atlanta to Roma with no quarantine when you arrive in Roma if you pass the testing that the airline offers.
Supposedly a similar arrangement for direct flights from ATL to Amsterdam as well.
Supposedly a similar arrangement for direct flights from ATL to Amsterdam as well.
Apr 10th, 2021, 09:55 AM
#210
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Italy is trying to create covid-free islands to enable tourism to recommence. They will prioritize vaccinations on some islands which are big tourist destinations -- Capri, Ischia, Procida.
Predictably, this plan has drawn some criticism from neighboring communities:
Read in Forbes: https://apple.news/Awxq2fvbDQMeoZCjmaUmibA
The plan is probably to open up the whole country to tourism if possible but prioritizing certain destinations over others may cause more protests:
Predictably, this plan has drawn some criticism from neighboring communities:
The plan to extend the model nationally is already in the government’s mind. According to minister of Tourism Massimo Garavaglia, working this way might make it possible to launch the tourist season in early June. “President Biden and President Macron said they are organizing reopenings based on their national holidays, July 4th and July 14th. Our Republic Day is on June 2nd,” he said in an interview with daily newspaper Il Messaggero.
Francesco Forgione, mayor of the Egadi archipelago (comprising the islands of Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo) comments: “I think we need both courage and foresight. Italy should behave like Greece, and Sicily should take action.” Forgione was also the first mayor to write a letter to national vaccination strategy chief Francesco Figliuolo, asking him to give small islands priority in the vaccination campaign. “Here, Federalberghi [the national hotels’ association] asked for tourism workers to be the first to get the vaccine. But on small islands there is no distinction between tourism workers and the rest of the population. This applies to the Egadi islands, but also to the Aeolian Islands, Pantelleria, Lampedusa, Linosa, and Ustica. I believe that all of Italy’s small islands share this belief,” he added.
While news of potential immunity was welcomed by those directly involved at the local level, in reality the idea of a differentiated vaccination campaign based on tourist value has received criticism as well. In Campania, for instance, citizens and mayors of various tourist areas pointed fingers at the Regional government’s decision to put in place a strategy which favors certain destinations over others. Luigi de Magistris, mayor of Naples, commented: “It is the government that should tell us what people have priority with regards to the vaccination. It cannot be a Regional governor to establish whether Capri, Ischia and Procida should go first, then followed by Amalfi and Sorrento, then maybe Pozzuoli and Naples.”
Francesco Forgione, mayor of the Egadi archipelago (comprising the islands of Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo) comments: “I think we need both courage and foresight. Italy should behave like Greece, and Sicily should take action.” Forgione was also the first mayor to write a letter to national vaccination strategy chief Francesco Figliuolo, asking him to give small islands priority in the vaccination campaign. “Here, Federalberghi [the national hotels’ association] asked for tourism workers to be the first to get the vaccine. But on small islands there is no distinction between tourism workers and the rest of the population. This applies to the Egadi islands, but also to the Aeolian Islands, Pantelleria, Lampedusa, Linosa, and Ustica. I believe that all of Italy’s small islands share this belief,” he added.
While news of potential immunity was welcomed by those directly involved at the local level, in reality the idea of a differentiated vaccination campaign based on tourist value has received criticism as well. In Campania, for instance, citizens and mayors of various tourist areas pointed fingers at the Regional government’s decision to put in place a strategy which favors certain destinations over others. Luigi de Magistris, mayor of Naples, commented: “It is the government that should tell us what people have priority with regards to the vaccination. It cannot be a Regional governor to establish whether Capri, Ischia and Procida should go first, then followed by Amalfi and Sorrento, then maybe Pozzuoli and Naples.”
The plan is probably to open up the whole country to tourism if possible but prioritizing certain destinations over others may cause more protests:
In Italy, tourism represents 13% of the national GDP, a percentage which gets crucial in tourism-only destinations, for which summer is essential to economic survival. After a lost winter season and a new lockdown in early spring which has further depressed many commercial activities, many are now pressuring the government to open up. Over the past days, cities like Milan and Rome have seen protests by restaurant owners and peddlers, which in some cases have turned violent. But while malaise at the prolonged closures is evident in the country, the government is not intending to uselessly speed up the process: “[For reopenings] we do not yet have a date, we are considering it, everything depends from how contagion trends and vaccines are going,” prime minister Mario Draghi said in a press conference.
With an average of 18,000 new cases per day and 500 deaths, Italy’s contagion state is improving, though the country still cannot call itself out of danger. According to national authorities, the next months will be crucial to get enough people vaccinated and improve the general outlook. Whilst the holiday period gets set up, the country also aims at being able to welcome travelers from abroad. Concludes Garavaglia: “I hope that with the measures that we are adopting and when we will get a reopening date, foreign tourists will come as well. For now, I know that the Americans are booking for August. I also know that from the UK they are looking closely at vaccination campaigns on the islands. Let’s hope we will soon go back to hearing languages from all over the world”.
With an average of 18,000 new cases per day and 500 deaths, Italy’s contagion state is improving, though the country still cannot call itself out of danger. According to national authorities, the next months will be crucial to get enough people vaccinated and improve the general outlook. Whilst the holiday period gets set up, the country also aims at being able to welcome travelers from abroad. Concludes Garavaglia: “I hope that with the measures that we are adopting and when we will get a reopening date, foreign tourists will come as well. For now, I know that the Americans are booking for August. I also know that from the UK they are looking closely at vaccination campaigns on the islands. Let’s hope we will soon go back to hearing languages from all over the world”.
Apr 10th, 2021, 02:26 PM
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I'm still here!
Bon_Voyage, I'm really sorry I didn't answer your PM. I saw it on a very busy day and intended to answer it the next day, but it slipped my mind.
I'm doing well, but very tired of these limitations, necessary though they are. I haven't seen my daughters in over a year, and I really miss the conviviality of our former life in our small town. I also miss the travel I enjoyed so much, and the months I used to spend planning my next trip.
My husband is now fully vaccinated, and I have an appointment for my first shot in two weeks.
Italy has made a number of mistakes, but this was a situation never seen before, and I wouldn't expect any country to have come through faultless. We have a very large elderly population, thanks to one of the highest life expectancies and one of the lowest fertility rates in the world.
I think the vaccination priorities were not well thought out, also. They started with vaccinating health care workers, which makes sense. However, the category was defined so loosely that in many regions people who worked in health administration, with no patient contact, got to the front of the vaccination line. They also vaccinated teachers, police officers, and other public service workers, but again, the categories were expanded unreasonably.
Then "phase two" began with people over age 80 and those with severe disabilities. Those age 70-79 have a risk almost as great as that of the 80-89 age group, and are more likely to be actively exposed than their older cohorts. Many people age 70-79 are caring for or assisting elderly parents, such as running errands or doing their shopping. This age group is also very likely to be caring for grandchildren while their parents work. People age 80 and above are less likely to be out and about on a daily basis. I think it would have helped if the vaccination of the elderly had moved quickly to include all those ove age 65. The vaccination of those age 70-79 began in April, more than a month after the vaccination of those 80-89.
I think it was also a mistake to give the regional governments so much leeway to set vaccination priorities and restriction policies. There has definitely been a lot of caving in to local political pressure.
Finally, the EU certainly shares some of the fault. They were inordinately slow at approving vaccines and signing contracts.
When restrictions begin to be eased again, and when vaccination campaigns begin to have an effect on the contagion, I hope people try to restrain their jubilation. Let Sardegna be a warning. They were declared to be Italy's first "white zone", because they were almost contagion free, and almost all restrictions were lifted. People threw away their masks and rushed to meet friends in restaurants and bars, and organized big parties for birthdays and other happy occasions. In one month they went from a handful of cases to full lockdown, with hospitals at the breaking point.
I'm doing well, but very tired of these limitations, necessary though they are. I haven't seen my daughters in over a year, and I really miss the conviviality of our former life in our small town. I also miss the travel I enjoyed so much, and the months I used to spend planning my next trip.
My husband is now fully vaccinated, and I have an appointment for my first shot in two weeks.
Italy has made a number of mistakes, but this was a situation never seen before, and I wouldn't expect any country to have come through faultless. We have a very large elderly population, thanks to one of the highest life expectancies and one of the lowest fertility rates in the world.
I think the vaccination priorities were not well thought out, also. They started with vaccinating health care workers, which makes sense. However, the category was defined so loosely that in many regions people who worked in health administration, with no patient contact, got to the front of the vaccination line. They also vaccinated teachers, police officers, and other public service workers, but again, the categories were expanded unreasonably.
Then "phase two" began with people over age 80 and those with severe disabilities. Those age 70-79 have a risk almost as great as that of the 80-89 age group, and are more likely to be actively exposed than their older cohorts. Many people age 70-79 are caring for or assisting elderly parents, such as running errands or doing their shopping. This age group is also very likely to be caring for grandchildren while their parents work. People age 80 and above are less likely to be out and about on a daily basis. I think it would have helped if the vaccination of the elderly had moved quickly to include all those ove age 65. The vaccination of those age 70-79 began in April, more than a month after the vaccination of those 80-89.
I think it was also a mistake to give the regional governments so much leeway to set vaccination priorities and restriction policies. There has definitely been a lot of caving in to local political pressure.
Finally, the EU certainly shares some of the fault. They were inordinately slow at approving vaccines and signing contracts.
When restrictions begin to be eased again, and when vaccination campaigns begin to have an effect on the contagion, I hope people try to restrain their jubilation. Let Sardegna be a warning. They were declared to be Italy's first "white zone", because they were almost contagion free, and almost all restrictions were lifted. People threw away their masks and rushed to meet friends in restaurants and bars, and organized big parties for birthdays and other happy occasions. In one month they went from a handful of cases to full lockdown, with hospitals at the breaking point.
Last edited by bvlenci; Apr 10th, 2021 at 02:38 PM.
Apr 10th, 2021, 02:47 PM
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Bvlenci, thank you for checking in!!!
I’m so glad that your daughter had no aftereffects of the virus, that your family is well, and that your first vaccine appointment is just around the corner.
Thanks, too, for your on the ground perspective of the vaccine rollout in Italy.
And a vicarious trip to Paris with you and your family sounds wonderful!
I’m so glad that your daughter had no aftereffects of the virus, that your family is well, and that your first vaccine appointment is just around the corner.
Thanks, too, for your on the ground perspective of the vaccine rollout in Italy.
And a vicarious trip to Paris with you and your family sounds wonderful!
Apr 10th, 2021, 07:24 PM
#214
It's good to hear from you, bvlenci!
Your view of the vaccination and Covid restrictions in Italy was interesting and enlightening. I hope things continue to improve.
Good luck with your own vaccination in the coming weeks!
Your view of the vaccination and Covid restrictions in Italy was interesting and enlightening. I hope things continue to improve.
Good luck with your own vaccination in the coming weeks!
Last edited by Moderator1; Apr 11th, 2021 at 07:24 AM. Reason: removed political comments
Apr 11th, 2021, 12:27 AM
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Thanks for the info, bvl it sounds pretty tough but if it works it will be worth it. Strange to have to go out separately to walk the dog or whatever - what if you cannot physically go out without your carer, for example?
Apr 11th, 2021, 06:52 AM
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I am also glad you are okay Bvlenci--always enjoy your perspective on questions. Thanks also for your local perspective on the vaccine rollout in Italy. I also read that because of certain issues with Astrazeneca the vaccine rollout was halted for a while and now Italy is relying on getting shipments from Johnson and Johnson. The U.S. has been very inconsistent with its rollout and there is much reluctance on the part of many to take the vaccine or even to wear a mask which will certainly prolong the recovery.
Apr 11th, 2021, 07:26 AM
#219
The situation in Sardinia has been especially interesting, the island managed to stay "white" for a long time but all the partying seems to have make it go full "red".
Last edited by Moderator1; Apr 11th, 2021 at 07:28 AM. Reason: as explained above
Apr 11th, 2021, 07:28 AM
#220
Hi bvl, I too have been wondering how you are and am very glad to hear that all is ok despite the restrictions under which we are all labouring to a lesser or greater extent. And thank you for your insights into the Italian situation
Last edited by Moderator1; Apr 11th, 2021 at 08:59 AM. Reason: deleted comment re moderation
