Italy’s government has now mandated passes verifying vaccination status, or “green passes,” for all domestic flights and train rides as well as university campuses.
The passes are now “obligatory for anyone travelling on high-speed trains, planes, ferries and inter-regional coaches,” as Reuters reported, as well as university staff members and students.
There has already been a vaccine passport mandate in place to visit venues like theatres, gyms, museums, and indoor seating at restaurants, as France has done.
Healthcare workers are also required to be fully vaccinated to return to work.
While Italy was one of the hardest-hit nations in the early days of the pandemic, The Federalist noted that cases have been significantly lower this month than in previous months.
While last November, there was a daily case number of over 810,000, over the weekend, there were around 136,000 active cases on Sunday for comparison.
Italy’s parliament also passed an amendment last week which extended the expiration date for current green passes from nine months to twelve. After this period, citizens will need to renew their passes.
Last month, the nation’s deputy health minister, Andrea Costa, advocated for making green passes mandatory for public employees and essential workers.
“For example local public transport operators, employees of supermarkets and essential services, or those that have been operational during lockdown,” he said.
The Federalist cited the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, which reported that this requirement could pass by October.
Like France, Italians have also been protesting the new measures.
“Hundreds gathered in Piazza della Signoria last month and refused to move after police told people to relocate to Piazza San Firenze, which is close by. Locals joined tourists and uttered the word ‘freedom,’” The Federalist noted.
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