Italy will introduce on August 6 a mandatory health pass to access closed places such as bars and restaurants, the government led by Mario Draghi decided Thursday evening.

"The health pass is an instrument to allow Italians to continue their activities with the guarantee of not finding themselves among contagious people", explained the Prime Minister during a press conference at Palazzo Chigi, the seat of the government in Rome, at the end of the Council of Ministers having approved this measure.

In addition to the bars and restaurants, this pass will be required to enter swimming pools, sports halls, museums, cinemas and theaters as well as game rooms.

The health pass will also be required for sporting events, concerts, shows, fairs and conferences, particularly conducive to gatherings, sources of contamination.

The discos will remain closed until further notice, but this sector will benefit from public aid.

An increasing trend

The health pass, called "green pass" in the peninsula, can be issued from the first dose of vaccine, but also to people cured of Covid and to those who have obtained a negative test in the previous 48 hours. The adoption of the health pass was the subject of tensions within the government majority, the leader of the League (far right) Matteo Salvini notably warning against "draconian, improvised and unmeasured choices excluding the majority of Italians of their right to work and to move freely ”.

Italy is currently registering a few thousand new cases and few deaths every day, but the underlying trend is upward.

On Thursday, 5,057 cases were recorded, while the country had not exceeded the mark of 5,000 new cases in twenty-four hours since May 21.

"The Delta variant is threatening because it diffuses faster than the other variants", warned Mr. Draghi.

"I invite all Italians to be vaccinated, and to do so immediately," he urged, while rejoicing that "more than half of Italians have completed the vaccination cycle".

Society

Coronavirus: Extension of the health pass voted on at first reading

World

Italy: Large cruise ships banned from central Venice in August

  • Italy

  • Health

  • Covid 19

  • Coronavirus