Italians and foreigners over 50 will have until February 1 to be vaccinated, according to the new Italian decree of Wednesday January 5. From February 15, the “reinforced green pass” – that is, the vaccination pass active only following two doses of vaccine or recovery from Covid – will be activated.
→ READ. Covid-19: should vaccination be compulsory?
According to the text of the decree, henceforth all those who go to public buildings, postal services, banks and shops (except stores for essential products) are obliged to present an ordinary health pass – which can be obtained by being vaccinated. or by performing a serological test. From February 15, those who do not have the reinforced pass risk a fine of € 100.
The penalties provided for
Workers over 50 who report to their workstations without having the enhanced pass will have their wages suspended and will be considered “unjustified absences”. There will be no “disciplinary sanctions” and they will not lose their jobs until the presentation of the vaccination pass. Those who do not respect the ban will have to pay a fine of between € 600 and € 1,500. The health pass will be valid until June 15.
In Milan, FB (he prefers to remain anonymous), aged 73, is vaccinated, but says he is opposed to the vaccination obligation. “Today 90% of the Italian population is vaccinated. A minority of the unvaccinated will always exist, as is normal in a democratic country where freedom of choice reigns. I am in favor of an educational method to convince those who still doubt, but without provoking social hatred ”, he said.
Compulsory vaccination in transport
According to the new anti-Covid rules in force in Italy, from Monday January 10, only holders of the “reinforced pass” will be able to take public transport. This device considerably penalizes the inhabitants of some 80 Italian islands, forced by the lack of essential services such as access to medical specialists, to travel by ferry to reach the mainland. “All residents must go to dry land on a daily basis”, says Lory, 30, who lives in Forio on the island of Ischia. “Those who work, students, women who have to give birth, those who have to perform medical examinations not available on the island such as MRIs and scans: all have important reasons to join Naples or other cities on the mainland “, she explains.
Francesco Del Deo, president of the Association of Small Island Communes (Ancim), which represents 35 municipalities, and mayor of Forio, is seeking to open a dialogue with the government to prevent its administration from being penalized. In a letter to Prime Minister Mario Draghi, he deplored the new measure, which “Means to condemn to forced exile” residents of the islands.
Reached by phone, the mayor explains the logistical and social problems caused by the vaccination requirement in transport: “In Ischia today, only one vaccination center is functioning due to the lack of health personnel. In this center, there are only two doctors and two nurses. We therefore asked the president of the Campania region, Vincenzo De Luca, to authorize the hiring of medical students ”, explains the mayor.
Highlighting major issues
The mayor is in favor of vaccination. The data must be “Our guide to fighting the pandemic and they show that we need it”. But he asks that the inhabitants of the islands not be subjected to different treatment from those who live on the mainland. On the mainland, the unvaccinated can travel by car, on the island, they depend on the ferry.
→ READ. Covid-19: with the Omicron wave, cruises turn to ordeal
Francesco Del Deo is very angry with the antivax as a citizen, but as mayor and president of the Ancim, he explains that he does not have to make a difference and ensure all citizens, in an equal manner, their fundamental right. access to essential services, most of which are found on dry land.
This health pass obligation putshighlight the major problems concerning the education, health and transport of the islanders. “Why on the mainland do we have to pay some 1.50 € to travel 35 km by public transport, while on the islands, we pay 8 € for the same distance? asks the mayor. And why must school be so expensive for island children? Did you know that hospitals are only present on four of the 37 islands? And yet, before the pandemic, 40% of tourists from the Campania region came to Ischia, a good thing for the state’s finances. While in Spain and Greece the islands are considered invaluable cultural and financial resources, they are not in Italy ”, still regrets the mayor.
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