Italian school group travel and Covid-19
24 February 2020


italy

Italian school group travel and Covid-19

English UK is trying to get more detailed information about the developing situation in Italy since the Government's announcement that school group travel has been halted for the time being, affecting many of our members who were expecting students this week.

We are urgently liaising with IALCA (the Italian Association of Language Consultants and Agents), the Department for International Trade and the British Council in order to seek further details and will update members as soon as we have something to share.

We have this evening received the following update from TIER (the tourism emergency response group) via VisitBritain:

  • 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 has 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. 
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