Covid: Green Card Certificate Require All Workers In Italy.
Key Sentence:
- Italy must require all workers to have a Covid Green Card - proof of vaccination, negative test, or recovery from the virus.
- The measures are a first for Europe and one of the strictest in the world.
It was reported that anyone would be released anonymously, and their payments could be suspended after five days. The measure, which will take effect on October 15, aims to increase vaccinations in countries hard hit by the virus. A Green Covid-19 certificate provided digitally and on paper is now required for access to Italian train stations, cinemas, restaurants, gyms, and swimming pools.
On Thursday, the Italian government passed a new law expanding requirements for all jobs and workers in all sectors, including the self-employed. Businesses and employees face fines of up to €1,500 (£1,280) for working without a valid green card.
Announcing the decision, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said the new measures would increase safety and "make our vaccination campaign stronger." "We are confident that applying for passports as we did with this decision will help us get through this vaccination campaign," he said.
Although the minority strongly opposes vaccination, Italy generally supports the government's vaccination campaign. Nearly 65% of Italians are now fully vaccinated, but infections continue to rise, led by the Delta variant.
According to Johns Hopkins University, Italy has reported more than 4.6 million cases of Covid-19 and more than 130,000 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began. The Green Passport was initially introduced to make travel within the EU more efficient, and since then, several countries have asked for certificates to be presented for various reasons.
France requires a health card for access to restaurants, bars, planes, and trains, while Austria and Cyprus belong to other European Union countries that have used a similar system.