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COVID-19. Information for Italian nationals and foreign citizens in view of the recent measures adopted by the Italian Government in order to combat and contain the Coronavirus

 

coronavirus

 

As per the Decrees of the President of the Council of Ministers dated 8 and 9 March 2020, the following are the main measures adopted by the Italian Government in order to combat and contain the Coronavirus in Italy:

All unnecessary movement of people must be avoided (both within the national territory and entering or leaving the country). Exceptions for proven work or health reasons, and in emergency cases must be justified by a written Affidavit (see enclosed Form);

It is allowed to return to one’s own place of residence;

– Limitations for public establishments are in place (although essential services are guaranteed) as well as for public activities, events, sport competitions and any other public gathering;

– Schools, universities and museums are temporarily closed;

– It is recommended to respect a distance of at least one meter between one person and another.

– There are no longer selective red areas; these measures have been extended to the whole Italian territory and are in place from March 10, 2020 to April 3, 2020.

These further measures, inspired by the principle of maximum prevention and based upon scientific assessments, and which would impact substantially on the lives of residents as well as on the Italian economy, are nevertheless deemed necessary to protect public health.

Additional information can be found at the following link.

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In view of these measures and of the numerous enquiries received by this Consulate General, the following are some specific information for Italian and foreign citizens:

– Italian nationals and foreign citizens residing in Italy who are momentarily abroad are allowed – if transport is operational and available – to enter Italy in order to return to their place of residence;

– Italian nationals and foreign citizens residing abroad who are momentarily in Italy are allowed – if transport is operational and available – to leave Italy in order to return to their country and place of residence;

– entry and exit Italy for proven work needs is also permitted (this includes cross-border workers);

entry for tourism reasons must absolutely be avoided. Foreign citizens, after entering Italy, will also be subjected to the Government measures that restrict movements within the national borders, with the exception of movements motivated by proven work needs or in an emergency situation or for health reasons;

– for what concerns Visas, the following exceptional rules have been implemented:

A) Applications not yet finalized: the applicants will be contacted by our Visa Outsourcer – VFS Global – and they will be advised to re-schedule their trip during the course of the next semester. To this end, applicants must submit a new travel itinerary with the new dates. Applicants who otherwise decide to cancel their trip altogether, will be able to withdraw their application without risking a Visa refusal but the visa fees will not be reimbursed.

B) Applications already finalized with the issue of a Visa. This Consulate General will evaluate the possibility of issuing new Schengen Short Stay Visas with the following conditions: the already issued Visa shows a validity from 1st February to 30th June 2020 and has not yet been utilized; the applicant must prove to have postponed – and not altogether cancelled – already booked travels and not to have obtained any reimbursements from Italian travel operators. Should these conditions be met and a new Visa be issued, the recipient will NOT be required to pay again the Visa fees.

– airports and trains stations remain viable and open;

in case of a flight cancellation, contact the Airline Company which issued the ticket or the Travel AgencyTour operator;

– at the moment, there are no restrictions in place concerning the entrance to South Africa by Italian citizens or by travellers arriving from Italy. The Italian citizens who intend to travel to South Africa are advised to constantly check the website www.viaggiaresicuri.it  where any further updates will be timeously posted. Passengers arriving at South African International airports will be subjected to temperature checks and, only if symptomatic, will be transferred to designated hospitals where they will be receiving further medical tests.

For any update, please refer to www.viaggiaresicuri.it, www.esteri.it/mae/it/sala_stampa/archivionotizie/approfondimenti/farnesina-al-lavoro-per-una-corretta-informazione-all-estero.htmlwww.salute.gov.it/nuovocoronavirus.

in the occurrence of any symptoms relatable to Coronavirus whilst in South Africa, contact the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) Call Centre + 27 (0) 800 029 999 and +27 800 11 1131 before visiting any hospital or medical centres.