Advice for travellers affected by Italy quarantine lockdown
ABTA has issued advice for travellers who are being affected with the new travel advice for parts of Italy.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office now advises against all but essential travel to the Lombardy region, which includes the cities of Milan, Bergamo, Como, plus Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano Cusio Ossola, Vercelli, Padua, Treviso and Venice.
It means around 16 million people in these areas special permission to travel.
The number of people to have died from the coronavirus in Italy has jumped 133 in a day to 366 and the number of infections has risen by 25% to 7,375.
ABTA said: "Customers who are imminently due to travel on package holidays which include the named locations should be offered alternative arrangements by their travel provider. If no suitable alternatives are available, package holiday customers should be offered a full refund.
"Customers who have booked their flights and accommodation directly should speak to their airline and accommodation provider to discuss their options. They should also check their travel insurance to see if this will cover any additional costs.
"Customers currently in the named locations should contact their travel provider to discuss their options and follow the instructions of local authorities and local public health advice.
"Customers with an existing package holiday booked, and those considering making plans, can have confidence that there are protections in place for package holidays should the travel advice to their destination change."
ABTA’s latest advice is available at abta.com/coronavirus.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt