Italian transport organizations urged their government to clarify what the travel restrictions to Lombardy and fourteen towns in Northern Italy mean to road transportation. The response states that transportation operations can happen in the territory, trucks can enter and leave the restricted area.
On the night of 7-8 March 2020, the Italian Prime Minister signed a decree that restricts travel to and from Lombardy and fourteen cities in northern Italy (Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano Cusio Ossola, Vercelli, Padua, Treviso and Venice). This is “the orange zone”. However, the decree does not mention the transportation of goods, which is why the Conftrasporto transport association asked the government for clarification.
Zona di sicurezza – grafico de @Corriere ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/jH5IdmehRG
— Javier Ortega Figueiral (@Sr_JOF) March 9, 2020
The head of the organization Paolo Uggè published a note addressed to the Prime Minister, Interior and Transportation Ministers. In his letter, Uggè states that the decree, the country’s reaction to the severe health situation, „causes a serious crisis in the transport and logistics sector”. The ban results in „delays, loss of orders and lack of deliveries”.
In its response, the government stated that „the goods may enter and leave the territories in question. The transportation of goods is considered to be necessary: the staff operating the means of transportation can, therefore, enter and leave the territories in question and travel into these areas, provided that these activities are limited to the needs of the delivery or collection of the goods. „
Also, the Italian Ministry of Transport published a more detailed guideline for carriers. Based on the ministerial instructions, Assolombarida provides recommendations on loading and unloading in the orange zone:
– drivers should not leave the vehicle and should be equipped with medical protective and preventive measures such as masks, disposable gloves, etc .;
– if loading/unloading requires leaving the vehicle, keep a safe distance from other people (1 meter);
– transport documentation should be sent electronically.