BRITS returning from ANY part of Italy have been told to self-quarantine if they have symptoms of coronavirus as new travel advice extends the warning from the north of Italy to the entire country.
As cases exceed 3,800 and regions remain on lockdown, here is the latest travel advice if you are going to Italy.
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What is the travel advice for Italy?
The UK government has updated their travel advice, warning any holidaymakers who have been to any part of Italy to self-quarantine if they have any symptoms of coronavirus.
Brits who have travelled to the locked down regions are told to self-quarantine even if they have no symptoms, as cases near 4,000.
The region of Lombardy has been hit the worst with but cases have been reported across the country.
The Foreign Office state: “The FCO advise against all but essential travel to 10 small towns in Lombardy (Codogno, Castiglione d’Adda, Casalpusterlengo, Fombio, Maleo, Somaglia, Bertonico, Terranova dei Passerini, Castelgerundo and San Fiorano) and one in Veneto (Vo’ Euganeo), which have been isolated by the Italian authorities due to an ongoing outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19).”
They also add: “The government of Italy introduced extraordinary measures that allow regions to implement civil protection measures in response to coronavirus, including the isolation of the towns above.
“These measures were extended on March 1 and include school closures and changes to sporting fixtures in the regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia Romagna, as well as in provinces closest to the outbreaks.”
The advice is to “stay indoors and avoid contact with other people” if quarantining yourself.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have raised the warning to Level 3, recommending all but non-essential to Italy.
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Can I cancel my holiday to Italy?
If you are due to fly to one of the affected regions that has been warned against, airlines might now offer to change your flights free of charge.
Although, because the government advice only concerns specific towns and not airports, airlines are not obliged to.
Regions that are deemed safe to travel will not be affected by the new government advice, with airlines unlikely to allow you to change your flights without a fee.
You should contact your travel insurance provider to see if you are covered.
British Airways are allowing passengers to delay their travel, and have cancelled a number of flights to Milan due to a drop in demand.
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On social media, they explained: “Anyone travelling to Northern Italy and from 25 February-02 March can delay their travel anywhere up to 31 March.
“You can also change to travel either to Zurich or Geneva. If you were wanting to refund your booking then it would be as per the fare rules of your ticket.”
Ryanair and British Airways are scrapping hundreds of flights, including to Italy, due to a drop in demand.
Wizz Air has also cancelled all flights between London Luton to Bari between March 11 and April 2, while easyJet said they would also be cancelling a number of flights to Italy due to “softening of demand”.
Delta and American Airlines has suspended flights to Milan from the US until next month while United Airlines allows travellers to move their flights for free until the end of April if travelling to Bologna, Genoa, Milan, Trieste, Turin, Venice and Verona.
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However, passengers who have already booked easyJet and Ryanair flights are not able to cancel or change their flights which are flying to Italy without any additional charges, although the airlines have both cut routes due to a lack of demand.
Experts have advised not to cancel holidays to Europe, as there is no more risk in the UK “than you are somewhere else” – if you are still concerned, we’ve explained how you can cancel it.
Venice Carnival was forced to end early following the travel restrictions, while many tourist attractions are struggling to attract tourists as pictures show empty streets and cathedrals.
A video shows tourists having their temperatures at Venice Airport, as well as at Milan Airport.
Schools and universities across the country are closing until mid-March while fans are banned from sports games with them taking place being closed doors.
We’ve also explained the latest travel advice for Brits heading to Thailand following the outbreak of coronavirus.
The US government has advised travellers to “reconsider” cruises to Asia due to a number of cruise ships infected with coronavirus.
Here is the latest update for holidays to Bali and Malaysia as well.
