FLORENCE — Even amid less active coronavirus cases in Italy, the government has mandated vaccine passports, or “green passes,” for all domestic flights and trains, as well as universities.
As of last Wednesday, green passes are now “obligatory for anyone travelling on high-speed trains, planes, ferries and inter-regional coaches,” according to Reuters. The government also announced the proof-of-vaccination card will be required for university staff and students.
Since August 6, the pass has been mandated for individuals to go to theaters, gyms, and museums, and to sit indoors at restaurants. Healthcare workers are required to receive both doses of the vaccine in order to work. Italy also passed a parliamentary amendment last Thursday extending the validity of green passes from nine months to 12 months, after which pass holders will need to acquire them again.
Italy’s Deputy Health Minister Andrea Costa said in August that the pass ought to be mandatory for public sector staff and essential workers. “For example local public transport operators, employees of supermarkets and essential services, or those that have been operational during lockdown,” Costa noted. According to the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, such a requirement could pass by October.
The City of Florence did not immediately respond to The Federalist’s request for comment as to whether it agrees with the country’s potential October move.
The number of infected people in Italy remains significantly lower than in months prior. There were around 136,000 active cases Sunday compared to a high of more than 810,000 last November. There were around 500,000 in April.
Protests have continued to be active in Florence. 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.”
