UPDATE: Italy is set to ease restrictions for Americans

In a significant announcement from the Italian health ministry, Americans will now be permitted entry into Italy with minimal restrictions. This means they should soon be able to arrive on any flights to Italy, rather than just the COVID-tested flights we've mentioned before.

The new regulations will take effect on June 19, as confirmed by a spokesman from the health ministry to Reuters.

Italy will welcome all American tourists, provided they possess a so-called "green pass," indicating full vaccination status.

Roberto Speranza, Italy's health minister, shared the news on Facebook:

"I have issued a new directive that:
1) permits entry from EU countries, the United States, Canada, and Japan with Green Certificate requirements;
2) continues the entry ban for travelers from India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka;
3) establishes a 5-day quarantine with testing requirements for arrivals from Great Britain."

Please note that you still need to take a COVID-19 PCR test within 48 hours before arriving in Italy. Some reports suggest only an antigen test is necessary, but we have not been able to verify this.

In May 2021, Italy first allowed "COVID-tested flights" from the U.S. (operated by Delta from Atlanta and New York to Rome and Milan, along with select American and United flights) for quarantine-free travel. Passengers on these flights, irrespective of vaccination status, must complete the digital Passenger Locator Form, present a COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours before arrival, undergo a rapid test just before boarding, and test again upon arrival in Italy. With negative results on all three tests, travelers are exempt from self-isolation.

Travelers arriving on other flights were mandated to self-isolate—until today, June 19, 2021, when Italy removed the quarantine requirement for U.S. travelers (along with those from other EU countries, Canada, and Japan).

Arriving passengers must present a certificate proving full COVID-19 vaccination or show a negative COVID-19 test conducted within 48 hours before arrival in Italy. The most recent updates from Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs can be found here.

While this is positive news for Americans, Italy has also enforced a quarantine for all arriving British tourists due to the ongoing spread of a more contagious COVID-19 variant in the United Kingdom.

This information was first reported by the British newspaper Independent. All British travelers will be required to self-isolate for five days upon arrival.

Italy is still classified on the U.K.'s "amber" list of countries, meaning British citizens returning from Italy must quarantine for 10 days.

This development coincides with the spread of the so-called "Delta variant" of the coronavirus in the U.K., even as vaccination rates rise. According to Reuters, Public Health England's data reveals a 79% week-over-week increase in cases of this new strain first identified in India. Fortunately, there has not been a significant rise in hospitalizations.

According to Our World in Data and aggregated by Google, 46% of people in the United Kingdom have received full vaccination. As of today, everyone over 18 is eligible to receive a vaccine in England.

Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of the U.K. Health Security Agency, stated to Reuters, "It's promising to observe that hospitalizations and fatalities aren't increasing at the same pace, but we will keep a close watch on the situation."

Many countries are tightening travel restrictions for British travelers due to concerns over a new virus variant associated with rising COVID-19 cases.