Italy Introduces Five-Day Quarantine for Arrivals From the U.K.

(Bloomberg) -- Italy has introduced a five-day quarantine and mandatory testing for travelers coming to the country from the U.K., as new Covid-19 variants threaten Britain’s attempts to reopen its economy.

Current measures banning arrivals from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have been extended, while travelers holding a so-called Green Pass from the European Union, U.S., Canada or Japan will be allowed to enter Italy, Health Minister Roberto Speranza wrote in a Facebook post on Friday.

With the move announced Friday, Italy joins European peers like Germany and France in curtailing travel from the U.K., but also appears to go further in a move that could essential drive those sun-seekers elsewhere in Europe, where there are fewer restrictions.

Airlines will be take note that the restrictions apply also to vaccinated travelers arriving from Britain. Shares in low-cost carrier Ryanair Holdings Plc fell as much as 3.5% in Dublin, erasing earlier gains, after the report on the Italian decision.

France has set quarantines for most non-vaccinated travelers from the U.K., while Germany has not included Britain in a list of countries it no longer classifies as travel risk areas, including Belgium, France and Switzerland.

Cases of the highly transmissible delta Covid-19 variant almost doubled in a week across the U.K., with more people admitted to hospitals.

While Britain’s latest virus data remain consistent with analysis that shows two vaccine shots will keep about 9 in 10 people who catch the disease out of hospitals, it also illustrates that Covid cases will still emerge even when the vaccine program has reached all adults, presenting a challenge to the government as it seeks to reopen.

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