Italy is gradually banning unvaccinated people from participating in popular social and sports activities because it has tightened restrictions on the coronavirus amid increasing infections and hospitalizations.
The “Super Green Pass” is expected to take effect next week and requires people to prove that they have been vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 in order to enter movie theaters, theaters, gyms, nightclubs, ski lifts, stadiums, etc. It is served in indoor bars and restaurants.
According to the current “green pass” rules, those who provide proof of negative tests conducted in the past 48 hours can participate in these activities.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi has been under pressure from regional governors to impose stricter health regulations on people who have not been vaccinated. According to Italian media reports, he will meet with cabinet ministers on Wednesday afternoon to give a final nod to the decree.
According to reports, Draghi is also considering making police and teachers mandatory for Covid vaccination.
It is unclear whether the new pass is required throughout Italy or only in areas with high infection rates and tight hospitals.
Italy launched the Green Pass in August and made it mandatory to use it in the workplace in October. It is also needed for long-distance trains and domestic flights. Under the new measures, people who have not been vaccinated can still travel and enter their workplaces if they test negative.
Workplace requirements have intensified protests across the country, especially in the northern city of Trieste, where the number of infections and hospitalizations has risen sharply in recent weeks. Massimiliano Fedriga, the president of Friuli Venezia Giulia in the surrounding area of Trieste, has been calling for stricter rules.
This month, Federica, a politician from the far-right coalition, described the anti-vaccination and anti-green pass protests as “idiots.” He said on Sunday that the Super Green Pass is not discriminatory and the only option is to block it again.
Umberto Lucangelo, the head of the intensive care unit of a hospital in Trieste, recently stated that 90% of Covid patients are not vaccinated and many have participated in the protests.
The stricter rules have been supported by regional presidents from various political fields. Stefano Bonaccini, chairman of the center-left Democratic Party of Emilia-Romagna, told ANSA: “I think people who are vaccinated should have priority in those places of social and cultural life, especially to prevent They have to shut down.”
Giovanni Toti, chairman of the Forza Italia region, stated that any further restrictions should apply to “people who have not been vaccinated, not those who have been vaccinated”.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 84% of the Italian population over the age of 12 had been vaccinated. Italy registered 10,047 new infections and 83 deaths on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll to 133,330, the highest in history. Europe After the UK.
On Tuesday, the number of inpatients in the national intensive care unit increased by 6 people to 560, while the number of general hospitalizations increased by 90 to 4,597.
