Italy has imposed new COVID-19 measures making it obligatory for all workers to display a COVID-19 health pass.
The new decree will start to be effective from October 15.
The move was declared by Health Minister Roberto Speranza in a news conference.
“The Green Pass is an instrument of freedom, that will help us make workplaces safer,” he said.
“The second reason is to reinforce our vaccine campaign.”
The Green Pass requirement aims at persuading people to get inoculated and blunting infection rates in one of the countries worst hit by the pandemic.
Starting from October 15, employees in public and private sectors will need to demonstrate proof of vaccination, a recent negative COVID-19 test or recovery from the virus in the previous six months to access workplaces.
Similar Measures across Europe
France has been witnessing angry protests in rejection of the new coronavirus health pass measure.
French authorities had earlier declared intention to relieve Covid-19 restrictions by August 9, 2021, in France.
The French health pass measures will mainly target those vaccinated or who have tested negative for Covid-19.
Targeted segment will have access to public venues, including long-distance transport, restaurants and cafés – even France’s famed outdoor terraces.
The protests which continued for the fourth weekend in a row, came just two days before the new rules come into force.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that a new coronavirus “variant of interest” named Mu, also known by its scientific name as B.1.621.
The health organisation said it closely monitors the new variant’s spread.
The mu SARS-CoV-2 strain first appeared in Colombia in January, as a “variant of interest.”
Since then, there have been “sporadic reports” of cases and outbreaks in South America and Europe.
Variants of interest have genetic changes that affect virus characteristics including transmissibility, disease severity and immune escape.
According to the WHO, variants of interest differ from variants of concern. The later can cause a decrease in effectiveness of public health measures, vaccines or therapeutics.
