Green passes: here comes the squeeze. In the evening the Council of Ministers will approve a decree to render stricter rules on green certification. In particular, there is talk of extending the passport obligation vaccination on medium-distance public transporti.e. regional trains and buses. Not only that: the green pass will also be imposed to the entire defense and security sector (500 employees between the Police and Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza, Army, Air Force, Navy and Prison Police), to school staff (1,2 million workers) and probably too to those staying in the hotel. Public employees who do not comply by December 15 will have their salaries suspended.
For everyone else, a big doubt concerns the validity of the green pass issued following a negative swab instead of after vaccination. There are two hypotheses:
- exclude swabs from the green pass only in the orange zone, providing for other rules also in the yellow zone (for example restrictions on capacities valid only for No Vax);
- or the hard line (supported by Pd, Forza Italia and various regional presidents), with the immediate stop of the post-buffer green pass throughout Italy, regardless of the color of the areas.
The risk is that the first, less severe solution will be difficult to apply and cause confusion.
If the second option passes, however, the rules will be clear and rigid: No Vaxes will no longer be able to attend any of the places where the green pass is required (cinemas, restaurants, bars, gyms, swimming pools, stadiums and so on). This line would be more effective in containing infections, but – it is Draghi's fear – it would risk slow down consumption and economic activity, jeopardizing the recovery.
With regard to the duration of the green passcould be reduced from 12 to 9 or 6 months.
Finally, the vaccines: from next Monday – date of entry into force of the new decree – the third dose will be accessible to all adultsas long as they have passed at least five months (no longer six) from the second.
