Five American tourists aboard a private jet were denied entry to the Italian island of Sardinia this week due to the European Union's coronavirus restrictions on travelers from the U.S., according to multiple reports.
CNN reports the private jet took off from Colorado with 11 people on board and arrived at Cagliari Elmas Airport Wednesday morning. In addition to the five Americans, others on board were from Italy, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Germany.
The European Union this week agreed to allow travelers from 14 countries outside the EU to enter. The United States, which is seeing a surge of coronavirus cases in multiple states, was not on the list.
Sardinia governor Christian Solinas tried to come up with a solution to allow the Americans to stay, including subjecting them to quarantine, according to Wanted In Rome. He indicated the restrictions would not allow for it.
"The singular restrictive interpretation of the rules by the Government, contrary to our ability to guarantee health security, in this case has again inflicted serious damage on the international tourism credibility of our island, and our sense of hospitality," Solinas reportedly said.
After 14 hours at the airport, the entire group flew to the UK, according to CNN. The UK, which left the EU in January, currently requires travelers from the U.S. to self-quarantine for 14 days. It's unclear if those on the plane intended to disembark.
Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay made the EU's approved list. The EU said China is “subject to confirmation of reciprocity,” meaning it should lift restrictions on European citizens entering China before it will allow Chinese citizens back in.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
