A very costly mistake: the private plane from Colorado to Sardinia with five Americans on board was denied entry to Italy because the EU has banned American citizens due to COVID
- A plane flew from the Eagle County Regional Airport on the afternoon of July 1 and arrived at the Cagliari Elmas Airport in Sardinia on July 2 at around 10:30 am
- The European Union has denied the United States entry to its countries since mid-March, but extended the ban to two more weeks on July 1.
- Sardinian regional tourism official Gianni Cessa said he went to the airport Wednesday night “out of a sense of solidarity” with the Americans.
- They were prevented from leaving the airport and kept in a waiting area, according to photographs of them published by the Sardinian media.
- Finally, the group returned to the plane and went to Birmingham, England.
A private jet that flew from Colorado to Italy with five Americans on board was denied entry to the country due to the European Union ban on citizens of the United States due to COVID-19.
The plane flew from the Eagle County Regional Airport on the afternoon of July 1 and arrived at Cagliari Elmas Airport in Sardinia on July 2 at around 10:30 am
The European Union has denied the United States entry to its countries since mid-March, but extended the ban to two more weeks on July 1.
The plane flew from the Eagle County Regional Airport on the afternoon of July 1 and arrived at Cagliari Elmas Airport in Sardinia on July 2 at around 10:30 am
Sardinian regional tourism official Gianni Cessa said he went to the airport Wednesday night “out of a sense of solidarity” with the Americans. “The rules must be respected, but there must be some common sense,” he said in televised comments posted online Thursday by L’Unione Sarda newspaper.
The newspaper said the group of about 10 people, most of them Americans and their children, as well as British and New Zealand citizens, were prevented from leaving the airport and kept in a waiting area, according to media photos. Sardinian communication.
They eventually returned to the plane and took off for Birmingham, England, according to the report. They left around 11.30pm
The group of about 10 people, mostly Americans and their children, as well as British and New Zealand citizens and a Sardinian woman, left the Eagle County Regional Airport.
Sardinian regional tourism official Gianni Cessa said he went to the airport Wednesday night “out of a sense of solidarity” with the Americans.
Federica Fanari, a Sardinian woman who lived in Germany and was on the flight, explained to Cagliari Casteddu that she had made the trip to see the family while her friends were waiting to do business on the island and possibly buy a house.
Fanari described being treated as “criminals” and lamented who would cover the damages lost for his decision to take the trip. The Italian woman shared that she had already been in talks with her lawyer.
After the EU released its list of 14 nations whose citizens are welcome in 31 European countries, Italy’s health ministry said it would still require those visitors to quarantine as a precaution.
Federica Fanari, a Sardinian woman who lived in Germany and was on the flight, explained to Cagliari Casteddu that she had traveled to see the family while her friends were waiting to do business on the island and possibly buy a house.
While coronavirus cases are on the rise in parts of the U.S., they are mostly under control in Italy, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe. Sardinia, in particular, has kept its case numbers low.
Sardinia’s regional governor Christian Salinas had tried to evaluate visitors upon arrival, trying to balance the island’s need for tourism revenue during the high summer season with efforts to keep tourists and residents safe. That proposal fell by the wayside, but Salinas criticized the treatment the Americans received.
In a statement by the Italian media, Salinas said the interpretation of the travel restrictions “inflicted serious damage on our island’s international tourism credibility and our sense of hospitality.”
Right-wing politicians pointed out that immigrants arriving on the coast in Sardinia can enter, test for the virus and apply for asylum, but not American tourists.
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