Italy set to restrict access to indoor venues for the unvaccinated

Italy discusses stricter rules for use of COVID-19 health pass
People sit at a bar as the Government discusses more stringent rules for Covid-19
REUTERS

Italy is expected to tighten restrictions and ban access to some indoor venues for those who have not been vaccinated against Covid.

It is hoped the new measures will avoid a surge in infections as Europe grapples with a new wave of the pandemic.

The country’s super green pass will launch on December 6 and require people to prove they are double jabbed or have recovered from the virus, according to two government sources.

Cinema, theatre and gymgoers, nightclub revellers, restaurant diners and those visiting stadiums and ski lifts, must show the pass in order to gain entry.

It is a significant clampdown from Italy’s current green pass rules which allow people to access such events provided they produce a negative Covid test within 48 hours.

The country is also likely to extend mandatory jabs, which already apply to healthcare workers, to teachers and police as of December 15, one of the sources said.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi has been under pressure from regional governors to introduce stricter rules.

A cabinet meeting to ratify the new measures was due to take place on Wednesday. it was reported.

The number of daily infections in Italy is at around 10,000 at present, against 20,000 in the same period last year
PA

Italy has seen infections rise steadily in the past weeks, but a successful vaccination campaign has kept a lid on its epidemic.

Other European nations are tightening the curbs and a new lockdown is in place in neighbouring Austria.

Vaccinations in Italy may soon be extended to children aged between 5 and 11 but the green pass obligation will not be applied to them, a third source said.

In a move to encourage more people to get their booster shot, the duration of the pass would also be cut from a year to nine months.

Green passes are mandatory for all workers, however one of the sources said it would still be possible for people to access the workplace with a negative test if they didn’t want to get vaccinated.

The number of daily infections in Italy is at around 10,000 at present, against 20,000 in the same period last year when hundreds of deaths were reported every day.

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