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Be Aware of Developments on Friday October 15, 2021

GAC

100+ Posts
Tourists arriving in Italy tomorrow, October 15, or who are currently traveling in Italy, should be aware that there are likely to be some civil disturbances of unknown proportions, especially in Rome, Milan, and major port cities such as Trieste and Genoa. The areas in Rome near Piazza Montecitorio (Italian Chamber of Deputies), Palazzo Chigi (Prime Minister's Office) and Palazzo Madama (Italian Senate) may be sites where demonstrators congregate to express their opposition to the new Italian Green Pass requirements in all working environments (public and private).

Similar demonstrations broke out last Saturday, and those in Rome became violent, with numerous injuries.

Transport workers in Trieste and other Italian port cities who oppose the green pass requirements have announced their intention to shut down the ports and stop all deliveries of merchandise, including food deliveries to grocery stores.

Tourists who happen to be in the vicinity of the aforementioned locations should be aware of what is happening, and may want to exercise some extra caution, especially this weekend.

One consequence of the new mandatory green pass laws (for Italian workers) is that THE NUMBER OF COVID TEST RESERVATIONS at Italian pharmacies IS INCREASING GEOMETRICALLY, and pharmacies are reporting huge increases in workload. This means that TOURISTS SHOULD BOOK THEIR COVID TESTS WELL IN ADVANCE when necessary to return to their home countries (such as the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom). Don't wait until the last moment, as it will become more difficult to find a pharmacy offering Covid tests on short notice. Pharmacies in Genoa report Covid test bookings well into December.
 
This means that TOURISTS SHOULD BOOK THEIR COVID TESTS WELL IN ADVANCE when necessary to return to their home countries (such as the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom). Don't wait until the last moment, as it will become more difficult to find a pharmacy offering Covid tests on short notice.
This is also true going in the opposite direction. I live in Italy but went back to the US recently to visit my family for the first time in a year a half, but I almost wasn't able to come back to Italy because it was nearly impossible to get an appointment for a COVID test! Everything was booked up, and the places that weren't booked up said they wouldn't get results back for 72 hours to a week, but I had to take the test within 72 hours of my flight. It was a mess! (And it wasn't that I didn't plan ahead: they changed the rules about needing a COVID test just a couple days before I was leaving to come back to Italy. Before that I was fine with just my green pass).

So, long story short, no matter which direction you're traveling, you really have to plan those COVID tests in advance!!
 
This is also true going in the opposite direction. I live in Italy but went back to the US recently to visit my family for the first time in a year a half, but I almost wasn't able to come back to Italy because it was nearly impossible to get an appointment for a COVID test! Everything was booked up, and the places that weren't booked up said they wouldn't get results back for 72 hours to a week, but I had to take the test within 72 hours of my flight. It was a mess! (And it wasn't that I didn't plan ahead: they changed the rules about needing a COVID test just a couple days before I was leaving to come back to Italy. Before that I was fine with just my green pass).

So, long story short, no matter which direction you're traveling, you really have to plan those COVID tests in advance!!
just curious...in what part of the US did this happen? Here in NE Ohio, it is fairly easy to get a Covid test and prompt results...at least right now.
 
just curious...in what part of the US did this happen? Here in NE Ohio, it is fairly easy to get a Covid test and prompt results...at least right now.
I was in Kentucky. They were having a big upsurge in COVID numbers at the time and they had just recently shut down a lot of testing centers because they thought they could relax, but then that proved to not be the case. So there were more people needing to get tested, but less places to do it. Around that same time they had also started having more people get tested or have proof of vaccination to work in a lot of places, so I think that contributed to it as well.

I read that it was like that in a lot of states, but I'm glad to hear that's not totally true! (I'd still try to plan pretty far in advance anyway though, just because I'd rather be safe than sorry! :p)
 
If you have a few days, I suggest you order the Abbott BivaxNow Home antigen tests from eMed.com. These work with the Navica app. Make sure you do not get the Self-tests sold at many retail pharmacies. Those are not guided by an online Proctor.

The Home Test is approved by the CDC for entering the USA. I also used it to meet Italy‘s test requirement.
 
Very surprised to hear of difficult getting tested in US. Aside from a delay in getting a test back that was taken over the Labor Day weekend, it is essentially a walk-up service here in northern VA. They ask you to make an appointment, but not really necessary at many sites.
 

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