Traveling to Italy amidst Covid-19

For some of you who knows me, I have not seen my partner for almost 11 months. He is based in Italy and me Singapore, and the Covid-19 situation has halted his work plans in Singapore in 2020. Under the sweetheart regulations in Italy, it’s now possible for me to travel to Italy to see him. Traveling to Italy amidst Covid-19 does require a lot more planning and flexibility.

Preparations took place 3 months before, I booked my flight ticket in September 2020 which unfortunately had to be postponed twice as the cases escalated drastically all over Italy. I also called the Italy embassy as well as followed up with an email. The instruction was very clear, I need to have my partner fill up a declaration form to declare our relationship, and provide a copy of his Italian identity card. To play safe, I also printed the English and Italian versions of the web page that listed the entry requirement from Singapore, as well as my return ticket. According to the Facebook group (Love is not tourism – Italia), the immigration officers might also ask for proof of relationship such as pictures, chat history and etc.

The day I arrived in Italy in early December 2020, Singaporeans are officially allowed into the country without a sponsor or reason, shifting its status from List E (rest of the world) to List D, according to the website of Ministero della Salute.

Here’s a quick video of my journey started in Singapore.

It took longer to check-in in Singapore as the airline counter staff was not updated on the entry requirement of every country. Thus it’s good to check-in early in such situations. They took around 30 minutes to do their due diligence before giving me the clearance.

The flight was very smooth and adequate social distancing between passengers in the cabin. I also made sure the mask I wore is comfortable, it was made of cotton and has an opening to slot in a surgical mask for double protection.

Arrival in Italy was very smooth, the immigration officer didn’t ask anything and within minutes I cleared the immigration. Traveling to Italy amidst Covid-19 is not like before, there were pros and cons. While there were a lot lesser people and thus lesser crowds and quicker clearance, the fear of getting infection is real. Getting an insurance that covers you in Italy is very expensive but totally necessary.

The Italian regulations indicated travel to place of (private) residence must be by private transport, and I got to serve 14 days quarantine and I had to register my stay with the region I stayed in. Note that every region has different hotlines and websites for the registration.

Note: 3 months passed in a flash and now I’m back in Singapore. Check out this post on my quarantine experience in Singapore.