Covid-19 in Italy: update from English UK
English UK has been working with the Italian agent association, the Department for International Trade and the British Council since the weekend to get the most up-to-date information to share with members in what is a fast-moving situation.
Interim chief executive Jodie Gray said: "Many members have Italian groups booked over the next two or three weeks, and we really feel for them.
"We are continuing to monitor the situation as well as taking legal advice on refunds, which we hope to provide in the coming days. We will continue to share information with members as we have it."
The Italian agents' association has asked for "understanding and flexibility with regard to a possible rescheduling of school groups' departures and dates of stay" after the Italian government banned all school and study trips after a major Coronavirus outbreak in the north of the country.
The Italian government has halted all school travel inside and outside Italy in a special decree, now being reported as lasting until 15 March, while it tries to control the outbreak.
IALCA, the Italian Association of Language Consultants and Agents, has issued a statement for its members and foreign language centres.
Pina Foti, IALCA's president, said the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) had "frozen every kind of school trip and study trip in Italy as well as abroad" and that as a result "those groups of students that have already booked flights, courses and accommodation have remained and will remain in Italy.
"It is hard to say if the enforcement of this measure will be extended, for certain it has had an immediate negative impact both on Italian Agencies and foreign Schools.
"IALCA is committed to maintain direct contact with MIUR, all Italian Agencies and School Associations abroad in order to provide constant updates on the evolving situation."
The statement adds to information received from TIER, (the tourism emergency response group) which explained that:
- The Italian government has introduced extraordinary measures that allow regions to implement civil protection measures in response to Covid-19.
- Current measures include the isolation of 10 small towns in Lombardy and one in Veneto. The regions of Lombardy, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Piemonte and Emilia Romagna have implemented measures including the suspension of public or private events, the suspension of schools and higher education and the suspension on the opening of museums and cultural institutions for seven days.
- On 22 February the Italian Ministry of Education and Ministry of University and Research suspended all educational trips of schools within Italy and abroad.
- The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises those who are in the regions affected to follow the instructions of local authorities.
- Based on the advice of the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC), the Italian government has not suspended the Schengen agreement as at this time the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy is not significant enough.
Public health England has issued advice for people returning to the UK from Italy and other countries and regions affected by the virus.
Travellers from category 1 areas, which now include Wuhan city and Hubei Province in China, as well as any Italian towns under containment measures, Iran and Daegu and Cheongdo in the Republic of Korea should immediately self-isolate and call 111. Travellers from category 2 countries, which include northern Italy, Thailand and the Republic of Korea, do not need to take special measures but if they develop symptoms should self-isolate and call 111.
The NHS says symptoms of coronavirus are a cough, high temperature and shortness of breath, but those symptoms do not necessarily mean you have the illness.
Read NHS Covid-19 advice.
Previous updates:
previous entry << >> next entry
