Advertisement

Italy's bars and restaurants reopen for indoor service on Tuesday

The Local Italy
The Local Italy - [email protected]
Italy's bars and restaurants reopen for indoor service on Tuesday
Carlo Lucia owner of Bar della Vite near Via del Corso, gestures as he waits for customers in Rome, on March 15, 2021, as three-quarters of Italians entered a strict lockdown as the government put in place restrictive measures to fight the rise of COVID-19 infections. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)

Bars and restaurants can serve customers indoors once again as Italy continues to ease its coronavirus restrictions.

Advertisement

From Tuesday June 1st, bars and restaurants across Italy can once again serve customers indoors, as well as outdoors - meaning restaurants which don’t have outside seating can now reopen.

And at bars, customers will once again be allowed to drink their coffee at the counter.

READ ALSO: What changes about life in Italy in June 2021?

The rules requiring bar and restaurant customers to wear masks when not sitting down, or eating or drinking, remain in place.

Drinking your coffee al bancone has has been forbidden since March, as serving all food and drink indoors was prohibited.

The ban sparked protests from Italy's bar owners, who said the tradition of drinking coffee quickly while standing at the counter was the "lifeblood" of tens of thousands of small businesses.

Photo: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP

Advertisement

Outdoor table service at bars and restaurants was allowed to resume in lower-risk ‘yellow’ zones from the end of April onwards as the country began gradually easing coronavirus restrictions.

Italy’s last remaining rules are set to be lifted over the next month - and almost all measures have already been dropped in the three regions declared low-risk ‘white’ zones from Monday May 31st.

Sports stadiums can also reopen to the public from Tuesday, at 25 percent of their maximum capacity.

From Monday June 7th, the evening curfew will be pushed back from 11pm to midnight throughout Italy - excluding the ‘white zone’ regions, where no curfew is required.

MAP: Which parts of Italy will become Covid-19 ‘white zones’ in June?

So far, only mask-wearing and social distancing rules must remain in place in white zones, the health minister has said.

The final set of rules in each region depends on the local authority, as each is free to impose stricter restrictions than those set by the national government.

Most, if not all, Italian regions are expected to be downgraded from 'yellow zone' risk status to 'white' this month, as the health data continues to improve across the country.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

Anonymous 2021/06/01 12:36
In bocca al lupo. What a sacrifice Italians have made to get to this point where restaurants and bars can open and people can drink an espresso at the bar. All my fingers and toes are crossed for a successful "riapertura".

See Also