It was only a few days ago that Italy was hailed as a successful model for the vaccination campaign against the coronavirus: high vaccination rate, low incidence.

To the self-praise of the Italian government came that of the foreign visitors.

During his inaugural visit to Rome on December 20, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) highlighted Italy's "very exemplary vaccination quota".

Prime Minister Mario Draghi thanked the Chancellor politely for the praise.

Matthias Rüb

Political correspondent for Italy, the Vatican, Albania and Malta based in Rome.

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Less than two weeks later, different tones come from Berlin. Just in time for the New Year, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) classified Italy as a high-risk area due to the rapidly increasing incidence - just like the other two southern European vaccination model countries Spain and Portugal shortly before. 89.6 percent of Italians over the age of twelve were vaccinated at least once, 85.6 percent received two doses and 33.1 percent received a booster vaccination.

Nevertheless, there was now a sharp increase in new infections.

The Ministry of Health in Rome reported a good 144,000 new infections on New Year's Eve and more than 141,000 on New Year's.

The number of daily infections has never been higher since the beginning of the pandemic.

Taken together, more than a million Italians were verifiably infected with the corona virus at the beginning of the year.

Nationwide, the seven-day incidence reached 783 in the last week of 2021, according to the Supreme Health Institute (ISS) in Rome;

the week before it was still 351.

Dismal results for the tourism year 2021

Most recently, according to the ISS, the Delta variant still accounted for 79 percent of the infections, and the Omikron variant only 21 percent. The ISS has planned the next national “variant survey” for this Monday. According to the GIMBE Foundation in Bologna, which researches evidence-based medicine, the incidences have risen particularly sharply in regions such as Tuscany, Lombardy and Lazio, which are among the national frontrunners in terms of vaccination rates.

Arnold Schuler, the regional councilor (minister) responsible for tourism in the autonomous Italian province of South Tyrol, is alarmed by the new development and assessment of the RKI: He fears a collapse in the number of German winter vacationers. Because anyone who returns to Germany from a high-risk area and has not been vaccinated or has demonstrably recovered has to be in quarantine for ten days, a "free test" through a negative test result is only possible after five days at the earliest. The fact that there are no exceptions for children will have an impact on families who have already started or planned their winter holiday in the northern Italian holiday region, which is popular with Germans. Schuler fears that many families from Germany would forego a winter holiday in South Tyrol.

The Italian trade association Confcommercio also drew a gloomy balance sheet for the entire tourism year 2021 shortly before the turn of the year. After that, there was a decrease of 120 million overnight stays compared to the last pandemic-free travel year 2019. "The Italian economy has no chance without the driving force of tourism," warned Confcommercio President Carlo Sangalli. He called for further state support for tourism in need, which accounts for a good 13 percent of the country's economic power. Even the recently tightened measures by the government in Rome due to concerns about the Omikron variant led to a decline in bookings for domestic holidays alone during the Christmas holidays by five million overnight stays. Sangalli does not expect a possible recovery in tourism until "in summer 2022,almost 30 months after the start of the pandemic ”.

For the time being, there are additional restrictions. From this Monday on, half of Italy will be considered a “yellow zone” with an increased risk of infection and stricter measures, such as the requirement to wear a mask outdoors. In addition to South Tyrol and the neighboring province of Trento, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Calabria, Latium, Lombardy and the Marche, Piedmont, Sicily and Veneto are again classified as "yellow". For Wednesday it is expected that the government will introduce compulsory vaccination for the entire working life: As is already the case in the health care system, in the education sector and with the security forces, only those who have been vaccinated or recovered will be allowed to go to work; a negative test is no longer sufficient.

On January 10th, a de facto lockdown for unvaccinated persons will come into effect for all social life in all of Italy: This will apply on all public transport, including buses and trains in local transport, in accommodation and hospitality establishments, at public events, exhibitions or trade fairs and also the 2-G rule for the use of cable cars and ski lifts. In Italy it is called the “Super Green Pass”.

Regardless of the latest developments, President Sergio Mattarella was optimistic in his last address at the turn of the year. Shortly before the end of his seven-year term, which ends on February 3, he looks "full of confidence" into the future, said the president. At the same time, he appealed to the citizens of the country to continue to rely on vaccinations in the fight against the pandemic in order to protect themselves and others from a serious course of the disease. "What would we have given back then to have a vaccination?" Mattarella asked, looking back at the beginning of the pandemic almost two years ago.

Research and science developed a vaccine much earlier than hoped.

Not using the vaccination is “an insult” for all those who did not have this chance at the beginning of the pandemic and who still have no access to a vaccine.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi praised Mattarella's campaign for national unity, solidarity and patriotism.

Mattarella's words "touched the heart of all citizens," said Draghi.