Coronavirus: a. hartrodt remains operational in Italy

Uncertainty is high since the safety zone in Italy was extended nationwide last Tuesday until April 3. The corresponding decree by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is intended to stem the spread of the coronavirus. People are only allowed to leave the house in exceptional cases. Nevertheless, a. hartrodt is still able to continue to serve customers. "As proposed by the government, we have been working with 85 percent of our staff from their home office since yesterday," says Maurizio Fasce, regional director at a. hartrodt italiana in Genoa. "Only a limited number of the 30 employees in total are located in the offices in Genoa, Milan and Cagliari to ensure warehouse operations and document exchange," explains Fasce. Some employees are on leave.

Movement of goods continues within Italy

Supply chains are not to be interrupted in Italy, the operation of factories and logistics services will continue. The freight forwarding association Fedespedi in Milan points out that transport companies may continue to send their drivers on the road. However, they need a document for the Italian control authorities. The movement of goods should be possible unhindered.

Obstacles for international transports

Freight trains can still pass between Italy and Austria, and intermodal transport is also possible. For truck transit traffic from Italy via the Brenner Pass, a. hartrodt points out delays due to health checks at the border with Austria. Trucks from Italy with final destination Germany, which drive on the Austrian motorways, are allowed by the customs authorities to pass the Italian-Austrian border without major problems.

Air freight capacities to and from Italy are shrinking because more and more airlines are cancelling all connections. These include Air Canada and Air France, for example.

In the main Italian port of Genoa, the average waiting time for completion of incoming goods controls had already increased from two to eight days by the end of February. "Similar situations can be found in many ports and airports in our country," reports Fedespedi President Silvia Moretto. Due to the production stoppage in China, more than 50 shipping connections with the East Asian country had already been cancelled in Genoa by the end of February.