Italy: health pass will be compulsory to enter work | The measure of October 15 will govern both public and private employees

From Rome

From October 15 to December 31 the green collar, i.e. the certificate issued by the Italian Ministry of Health when a person has received the double anti-covid vaccine, will be obligatory Both for public and private employees and for those who do not have one, they will not be able to go to work and risk losing their wages, being suspended and losing their own jobs.

The real and psychological effect of this measure was immediate. Apparently, many people are afraid of losing their own jobs, knowing that the pandemic has severely damaged the economies of countries and families. Last Saturday, the day after the approval of this decree by the government, “the people who received the first dose of the vaccine increased between 20 and 40% compared to the Saturday of the previous week”, commented General Francesco Figliuolo, extraordinary commissioner for emergencies Covid. , that is to say the structure that controls the progress of vaccinations and the pandemic in general. Until today, nearly 41 million Italians, or 75.64% of the population over 12, have completed the vaccination cycle, according to this organization.

The circulation of the Delta variant of the virus (which in some countries is still referred to as the Indian variant) “is widespread in Italy,” the Italian health ministry said, adding that this variant “is prevalent in Europe and is associated with an increase the number of cases, even in countries with high vaccination coverage. ”Indeed, in several European countries and not only, we have seen vaccinated people reinfect themselves. But in general the cases are not so serious and people are not not hospitalized. “Wider vaccination coverage and completion of the double vaccination cycle are the main instruments to prevent further episodes of increased circulation of the virus, supported by more transmissible variants,” the health ministry said.

Anti-vaccines

Today, A good part of the internees in Italy and many of them in intensive care are unvaccinated people, the “No Vax”, as those who refuse vaccination are called and who have led campaigns, marches and events in different cities, criticizing the government for vaccines they consider dangerous. One of the recent cases that came to the media, but it was not the only one, was that of a teacher at a school in the city of Treviso (north-eastern Italy), convinced denarius and No Vax, who told his students at school that the virus did not exist and that the problem only affected the elderly. In January, she was suspended as a teacher because of these “teachings”. Recently The teacher contracted covid and was admitted in serious condition to a hospital in Mestre, near Treviso.

This Sunday, the new cases of covid in all of Italy were 3,838 (Saturday they were 4,578), hospitalized 4,459 (18 less than yesterday) and inmates in intensive care 530 (11 more than yesterday) . During this year and a half of pandemic, Italy recorded a total of 4.6 million cases of coronavirus, of which 130,310 died. The regions with the most cases in the last 24 hours were Sicily (538), Tuscany (418) and Veneto (364).

The decree on the Green Pass

Although at the beginning there was a lot of discussion, first about the validity of the Green Pass and then about the compulsory nature of this certificate in the workplace, the decree was approved with the votes, even of the League, of Matteo Salvini. One of the ministers of the current government, which belongs to the League, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Minister of Economic Development, said he was very satisfied with the decree approved by the government. Making the Green Pass mandatory in other areas, such as workers, “serves to increase freedom,” he said, tacitly alluding to the fact that this will make people feel more secure, freer to be. in contact with others and not to wear masks, for example. Salvini, on the other hand, disagreed as always, criticizing the government of which his party is a part. But with Giorgetti, several mayors and presidents of regions in northern Italy belonging to the League have come out in favor. There are those who hypothesize that there is a deep division within the League, which could cause him to lose votes in the municipal elections held on October 3 and 4. In these elections in 1,162 municipalities across the country, important cities such as Rome, Milan, Turin, Bologna, Naples are included.

En cuanto a las reglas del Green Pass el decreto establece que el Green Pass sirve para entrar en los lugares de trabajo, tanto públicos como privados, para los conductores de buses, para los mozos de los restaurantes, para los comerciantes, los profesores y maestros , among others. If an employee, private or public, does not have the Green Pass, he will not be able to go to work and after the first day of unjustified absence, his salary will be suspended. From the fifth day of absence, the employment relationship is suspended, which could possibly be recovered if the Green Pass is carried out. For the self-employed, it will work the same way.

Also parliamentarians, deputies and senators must present the Green Pass to enter the workplace. The same is true for employees of municipalities, regions and provinces in addition to other public offices.

If a person calls for example a plumber for repairs inside the house, he has the right to apply for the Green Pass. Taxi drivers must also have it, but it is not the customer who has the right to demand it but the managers of the taxi company. If an employer does not respect the obligation to require the Green Pass from his employees, he risks a fine of 400 to 1000 euros.

Rapid anticovid tests, which many trade unionists have called on the government to be free of charge for now. Except for people who for health reasons are too fragile and cannot be vaccinated. For them, who will have to repeat it often, it will be free. Likewise, prices will decrease from October 15, which was so far 22 euros per quick test. They will be worth 15 euros in general and 8 euros for minors.

Until now, the validity of the Green Pass was 12 months, after 15 days of the second dose. But from October 15, a provisional Green Pass will be issued, immediately after the first dose and until the second. The one delivered after the second dose will be worth one year.