Italy makes health COVID green pass mandatory for many leisure activities

But already, scientists are wondering whether there will be a repeat of 2020, when people dropped their guard in the summer as the virus receded, only to see it come racing back.

As part of its announcement on Thursday, Italy laid out new guidelines for when regions might be hit with tightened restrictions, basing the determination around hospitalisation levels, rather than the spread of positive cases.

“We want to avoid a growth in contagions bringing new general closures,” Roberto Speranza, the health minister, said. “The instrument we have is that of vaccinations.”

Previously, Italy had mandated use of what is known as its Green Pass only sparingly, for entrance to nursing homes, for instance, or for travel outside Italy. But the expanded mandatory use, which takes effect August 6, will apply to sporting events, indoor dining, fairs, conferences, spas and casinos.

Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a similar set of measures, though slightly more forceful, because the health pass was also required for forms of public transit. Vaccination appointments surged in the aftermath. But hundreds of thousands also took to the streets in protest.

In Italy, the decision to more widely use the Green Pass has been contentious.

The leader of the far-right League, Matteo Salvini, said in an Italian newspaper interview several days ago that the pass should be used for stadiums, “but not for a pizza.”

Salvini, who is part of Draghi’s wide-ranging coalition, noted Thursday on Twitter that Italy’s hospital situation was “under control, and he said “freedom” was a guiding principle. There are 158 coronavirus patients in intensive care in Italy, compared with roughly 4000 at the height of previous waves.

Washington Post

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