In Italy, from October 15, all employees in the public and private sectors must show a Corona card when they come to work. This is what the Italian government decided today.

The evidence, called “green pass” or “green certificate” in Italy, must show whether someone has at least the first shot, obtained a negative test certificate or recently recovered from an infection. If someone does not have a valid Corona ticket, they risk being temporarily suspended from work, or not being paid their salary.

The government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi wants to increase the vaccination rate in the country and reduce the number of corona infections. Right now, 73 percent of Italians have had at least one vaccine, according to most last numbers.

The first country in Europe

Although the Corona ticket is already in use in other European countries, such as France and England, it is usually only necessary for (long) trips, major events or in the catering industry. Already in August, Italy decided to make the card also mandatory for employees in the public sector, such as teachers and health care workers.

Now Italy is going one step further, and employees in the private sector must also use the certificate. It makes Italy the first European country to use the Corona entry ticket in this far-reaching way.

There is no strong resistance

Although the Corona controversy has intensified in Italy since September and not everyone has agreed to the measures, there have been strong protests against the use of the Corona certificate so far. Did not come.

The leader of Italy’s largest trade union, Maurizio Landini, has demanded that at least coronavirus tests be free for employees who do not want a vaccine. According to him, people should not have to pay in order to be able to go to work.

Italy is one of the countries most affected in Europe by the Corona virus. More than 130,000 coronavirus deaths have been reported since the beginning of 2020.