Italy extends Covid-19 state of emergency, imposes swab for EU visitors
Those who have not been vaccinated must also undergo a quarantine of five days on arrival
Italy on Tuesday extended a Covid-19 state of emergency to March 31 and ruled that all visitors from EU countries must take a test before departure, amid concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The state of emergency, which was introduced in January last year, gives greater powers to the central government, making it easier for officials to bypass the bureaucracy that smothers much decision-making in Italy.
It was set to expire at the end of December.
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The Health Ministry's decision to impose a test on people arriving from European Union countries from Dec. 16 to Jan. 31 extends a requirement which was already in force for many non-EU countries.
Those who have not been vaccinated must also undergo a quarantine of five days on arrival.
The decision met with the disapproval of the European Commission, which favours common rules to travel within the bloc based on a so-called Green Pass certificate proving vaccination against the virus.
