EU tourists will be able to travel to Italy without a mandatory 14-day quarantine from 3 June as part of measures to lift the country’s strict coronavirus lockdown.

On Saturday the Italian government published a decree that will allow entry in and out of the country and lift all restrictions on internal movement in an attempt to kick-start the tourism industry in time for the summer. Giuseppe Conte, Italy’s prime minister, said later that the lifting of travel restrictions would only apply to visitors from other EU countries.

Beginning on June 3, visitors within the Schengen zone will be allowed to enter Italy with no obligation to self-isolate. Italians will also be able to move between regions, though local authorities can limit travel if infections spike.

“We’re facing a calculated risk in the knowledge that the contagion curve may rise again,” Conte said. “We have to accept it otherwise we will never be able to start up again.”

He said the country could not wait until a vaccine against the virus is developed because “we would end up with a strongly damaged economic and social structure”.