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Italy's government has announced that
tourists will again be able to visit
from June 3rd a 14-day mandatory
quarantine period will also be scrapped
it's a big step for a country recovering
not only from one of the world's worst
coronavirus outbreaks but also the huge
economic cost of lockdown
famous for once having too many visitors
the coronavirus has left Venice deserted
many here who rely on tourism are eager
for people to return but it's a
balancing act between preventing a
second wave of coronavirus while
reopening the city
I hope the authorities will manage the
city in a way that is a compromise
between the city we knew then and the
one we're experiencing today 11 at 16 we
were in large Italy became the epicenter
of the coronavirus in Europe in late
February the government imposed a
crippling shutdown and the pandemic has
so far killed over 30,000 people areas
on the adriatic coast have taken a huge
hit but travelers will soon be allowed
back in time for summer months we've had
only two overnight stays this gives you
an idea of the situation prepared for
reopening according to the regulations
in force at the moment so distancing
face masks gloves and disinfection gel
tourism accounts for more than a tenth
of Italy's GDP an industry it's
desperate to salvage many here are
relying on people visiting some of the
world's most iconic attractions once
again journalist Seema Gupta joins me
now from Rome Seema a huge sigh of
relief for many in Italy I imagine
what's the reaction been to this
announcement well I think really it's a
question of that balancing act that we
heard at that report about considering
the needs for the economy and
kick-starting that at the same time
being unsure and anxious about the
health and security needs of the
citizens and
people who come to visit I mean clearly
the infection rate has fallen
particularly in recent days the pressure
that we saw on the healthcare system has
eased significantly but the pressure on
the economy has definitely increased the
pressure to reopen come Monday the 18th
of May we're already going to see
museums as well as retail shops open
they've pushed up the opening date for
restaurants as well as hairdressers it
was supposed to be the 1st of June and
now it's the 18th of May as well all of
this with social distancing in place
masks
hand sanitizers the checking of
temperature where required places of
worship will also be open for the public
of course with a specific number of
people entering and exiting at the same
time so all this happening though many
Italians are still quite anxious about
whether there's going to be a second
wave of infection so really
they'll be waiting to see how things
progress in the next coming days and
weeks
up until the 3rd of June when it's also
open to abroad yeah you talked about
that balancing act which of course we're
seeing in many places but is this
announcement a sign that the government
feels they've really got the virus under
control in Italy I think they have the
impact on the health care system under
control and they're doing their testing
and they're setting aside those measures
for tracing and they feel that the
pressure there is overwhelming in terms
of kick-starting and in reopening the
economy the epidemiological situation in
the country right now is stable and so
it is about time to get things started
and the government has retained all the
while the ability to reimpose those
lockdown measures nationally if they
feel that there's a spike of Kovach 19
cases italy may be opening up to
tourists again but many countries
including Germany are still advising
against travelling unless absolutely
necessary so what happens if the
tourists stay at home well for the
moment that third June that that has
been set aside for opening is not just
for tourists from abroad but it's also
from within the country
you're not gonna be allowed out of the
region that you're in it's so
traditionally the vacation period the
summer vacation period you have a lot of
within the country you have people from
the north coming down to the south to
enjoy the beaches there so people will
be targeting local tourism as well but
of course the aim is that within the EU
at least we'll be getting the tourists
that generally come to Italy and the
different regions will be targeting
those countries with mads with
promotions to try and ensure to them
that they are taking those safety
measures and protocols in place to make
sure that you can have that summer
vacation all the while making sure that
everything is done safely now some of
those adjustments those safety in
cutting into their profit margins as
well so they're concerned also about
their bottom line so I think very much
it's going to be a situation of wait and
see how things progress in the coming
days and weeks wait and say indeed
journalist 2 semi-cooked are speaking to
us from a very windy Rome thanks very
much
