“Whoever enters Sardinia will have to present a certificate showing they have tested negative [for COVID-19] or that they have been vaccinated,” Christian Solinas, the southern Italian island’s governor, told L’Unione Sarda.
“[The island’s epidemiological situation] is improving but at the same time we must defend ourselves in every way from the worrying COVID-19 variants and the possibility that they might enter our home.
“The system of checks will start well before the start of the summer season.”
Solinas had attempted to introduce mandatory testing for visitors last summer but was overruled by Italy’s central government.
His new proposal comes amid concerns that Sardinia could see a repeat of what happened last summer, with the rapid transition of the island from an almost COVID-free zone to a coronavirus hotspot due to the unchecked arrival of crowds of tourists, especially along the famed Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast).
Sardinia, Italy’s second-largest island after Sicily, is currently classified as a low-risk “yellow zone” under the nation’s three-tiered system of restrictions.
