Italy

Sicily aims to lure back foreign tourists after the lockdown by paying half the price of their plane tickets, one in every three of their hotel nights and all their tickets for museums and archaeological sites. The regional government will use a €50 million war chest to pay for the scheme after coronavirus robbed it of about €1 billion in March and April. The vouchers will be made available on the island’s tourism website. With 13 per cent of GDP coming from tourism, Italy is keen to get the sector going after the lockdown ends on May 4 and is mulling ways to create social distancing on beaches.

European Union

EU leaders have given up on trying to agree a deal on a pandemic