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Situation in Italy :(
- Thread starter BryanS
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- coronavirus italy
italian excursion
100+ Posts
I've been watching the daily reports from Susan Levenstein, a physician in Rome.
She is not optimistic as she says what is needed to level off cases is a full country lockdown not the random one they keep moving around from region to region. Of late the hospitalizations and deaths are climbing not leveling and are higher than the US. Vaccinations are not rolling out quickly enough to stem the cases, so she says. I have my fingers crossed so hard they are becoming numb! But still, I will book my late May trip and cancel if there is not enough change a few weeks before.....
Don't get your hopes too high, late May does not look realistic, unfortunately. Only around ten percent of the Italian population has been vaccinated, and less than half of those with the full two doses. So re-opening of tourism will still take time.
I'm hoping to be able to take a spring trip in 2022. October would also be nice, but we're preferring to wait until things are almost completely stable.
italian excursion
100+ Posts
I have been told, Joe, that because I own property in Italy I am a little higher up on the list than a tourist, so I may use that card if I feel it's reasonably safe by the end of May. It's certainly a crap shoot at this moment, but we shall see. Change happens!
BryanS
100+ Posts
As with most of mainland Europe, the # of cases is increasing. The new decrees are issued at the end of the week and there is talk of various options - complete nationwide lockdown, weekend lockdowns, etc.
Vaccine progress is an issue, in our region they have done 1st responders, medical staff, teachers and those over 80. The next group is determined each week based on number of available doses. This is a problem, the PM hopes to have all vaccinated by the end of the summer and Italy is to have a couple options in the next few months to produce vaccines (our own, or others). Many Italians blame the US and the UK for our supply issues.
Open for spring - I doubt it. Open for summer - I hope not based on the consequences from last summer until vaccination is more complete, but the economic pressures to open are great.
Pauline
Forums Admin
The UK has been on lockdown since after Christmas. It has been endless! This weeks the kids went back to school and the rules changed so that we can go outside and sit on a bench! Previously we could only go outside once a day for exercise (keep moving!).
I have read that international travel will open up in May or June, but if Europe doesn't open up, we don't have anywhere to go. I booked a trip in May within the UK, to the Cotswolds.
Thanks for the update! I really hope it isn't true that the UK is responsible for Europe's vaccine supply issues, but it does seem likely.
Pauline
Forums Admin
I posted in another thread that Frances Mayes posted on Instagram that she and Ed have gone to Italy and were allowed in because they own property there.
Vaccinated and Ready to Go
So, we have now gotten our COVID-19 vaccines and our minds are turning to travel planning again - not immediately but as soon as it makes sense. Can anyone provide insight into Italy's status with regard to the virus and prognosis as to when it will be viable for travelers from the US? We are...
www.sloweurope.com
BryanS
100+ Posts
Here's an interesting article on the vaccine situation comparing the UK and the Big3 in the EU.
www.euronews.com
French, Germans and Italians unhappy over vaccine rollout - survey
Three-quarters of respondents in France (75%) and Germany (77%) and more than two-thirds in Italy (68%) were unhappy with the vaccine rollout.
www.euronews.com
italian excursion
100+ Posts
I appreciate everyone's feedback and information. The bottom line is that at some point travel will be safer and we will travel again. So, in the meantime I will just remain satisfied with where I am and what good fortune I have. Living close to my children and grandsons affords me the luxury of their company, not to mention the friends who are close by. Oh and then there is zoom for the others who live away! I'll quit whining for awhile and will stay in touch with all of you!
Stay well; sending virtual hugs,
Cheryl
Stay well; sending virtual hugs,
Cheryl
Alpinista
100+ Posts
My wife is also a property owner, but not sure how we would feel being in a village where people are on so many restrictions and then seeing Americans show up in their midst. Everyone has been tremendously kind to us over the years (decades), but that equation has also included us being very respectful of their customs, boundaries, and sensibilities.
italian excursion
100+ Posts
Alpinista, do I hear a rebuke in your comment? I have been vaccinated and intend to take all precautions, anyway. I have also been traveling there for decades with much kindness shown to me and I am equally respectful of my friends and neighbors. My Italian friends have welcomed me when I've asked how they would feel about my arriving. Their already modest living status has been further devastated by the last year and they look forward to being able to some form of business.
Of course, I will re-assess things as the time gets closer. In the meantime, I love the idea of planning whether I get there in the spring or in the fall! Be well......
Of course, I will re-assess things as the time gets closer. In the meantime, I love the idea of planning whether I get there in the spring or in the fall! Be well......
Alpinista
100+ Posts
Not a rebuke, just a personal comment on our own feelings. We do not consider the restrictions to be a punishment of us, but a method of keeping Italy's inhabitants safe. We know that our relatives and friends are anxious to see us, but not so sure about the other people with whom we would come in contact. We don't want to quibble over the meaning of "residence" in the country's guidelines for movement within the commune if challenged at our point of entry or by any local authority.
The unknowns about what stage our home area will be in (currently Code Orange), still limit us. We don't want to be "the Americans" showing up in the commune while people who reside there have limits on how far they can go from their house each day. We don't want to be the vaccinated Americans when the same opportunity may not have yet reached down to the people in the village.
We'll be the first ones there when we can fly directly into Italy and not do a third country workaround (as I read some recommending). We'll observe Italian regulations on COVID and the Schengen Agreement and might even obey the speed limits ;-) -- bottom line for us is that we want to be comfortable with our presence ourselves and to know that everyone around us is equally comfortable and that we're as unobtrusive as possible.
Looking forward to all of us being free to enjoy the beauties of Italy again.
italian excursion
100+ Posts
Pauline, maybe I'll meet you and Steve in Puglia, then! It's been a long while since our last visit. and I so want to meet Valerie and Bryan in person. Stay well!
Pauline
Forums Admin
I started a new thread about going to Italy if you own a home there to keep the info in one place.
You can travel to Italy now if you own a home there
We’ve been talking about this in two other threads, so I’ve started this one. Frances Mayes posted on Instagram that Ed has gone to Italy to look after a build project on their house. She says you can travel to Italy if you own a home there. This is her Instagram post...
www.sloweurope.com