Italy to require all workers to show ‘green pass’ certificate as new measure

Italy makes it mandatory for all workers to have a covid “green passport” – proof of coronavirus vaccination, a negative test report or report of recovery from the virus.

The measures are the first for Europe and some of the most stringent in the world.

Anyone without a passport gets laid off from work and can have their pay stopped after five days.

The measure, which will come into force on 15 October, aims to strengthen vaccinations in a country hit hard by the virus.

Green passport certificates for the Covid-19, delivered digitally and on paper, already require access to Italian train stations, cinemas, restaurants, gymnasiums and swimming pools.

School staff were also required to show a passport and some teachers would be dismissed from work.

On Thursday, the Italian government approved a new law to expand the requirements for all jobs and people in all sectors, including the self-employed.

Individiuals who fail to comply with the new rules could face fines of up to € 1,500 (£ 1,280) if people are found without working a valid green passport.

The decision announced Health Minister Roberto Speranza said the new measures would improve safety and “make our vaccination campaign even stronger”.

“Implementing a passport like the one we will come into force with this decree, we are sure, will help us push this vaccination campaign forward,” he said.

Despite a vocal anti-vaccination minority, the Italians broadly supported the government in the vaccination campaign.

About 65% of Italians have now been completely vaccinated, but the infections have gone up, driven by the Delta variant.

Italy was one of the world’s first country outside mainland China to face severe coronavirus crisis in 2020. It recorded more than 4.6 million cases while 130,000 people died of the virus.

The green passport was initially introduced to make travel in the EU more efficient, and some nations have since added demands for people to show the certificate for various reasons.

France requires a health passport to access restaurants, bars, planes, and trains, while Austria and Cyprus use similar schemes among other EU countries.