Will Italy see its economy shaken up?
The country is preparing this Friday for demonstrations, blockages and potential disruptions in certain sectors, with the entry into force of the mandatory health pass for all workers.
Anyone who has not been vaccinated or has not recently recovered from Covid-19 must show their employer proof of a negative test that they have paid for themselves, under penalty of being declared absent and deprived of salary.
More than 85% of Italians over the age of 12 have received at least one dose, but up to three million more, unvaccinated, are at risk of being denied access to their workplaces.
Thousands of people gathered in Rome last Saturday in protests that escalated into violent clashes.
Other mobilizations are planned throughout Italy on Friday and Saturday.
"There could be chaos"
Dockers in Trieste, a major port in the northeast, have threatened to block activity, while disruptions are possible in road transport.
Ivano Russo, director general of the Italian General Confederation of Transport and Logistics, an employers' association, said that out of a total of 900,000 truck drivers, couriers and warehouse workers, "between 25 and 30%" do not own health pass.
The government has offered free tests to dockers in Trieste, while some terminal operators in the port of Genoa offer to pay themselves.
“The real problem with the Green Pass for the port of Genoa, and in general for all ports, will be road transport,” Roberto Gulli, of the Uil union, told La Repubblica newspaper.
"There could be chaos on Friday."
More than 130,000 dead
Meanwhile, the government is determined to avoid a repeat of last weekend's violence, blamed on a small far-right group, Forza Nuova, which experts say infiltrated the protests.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi's government has defended the health pass as a way to avoid further lockdowns in Italy, one of the European countries hardest hit by the pandemic.
The virus has killed more than 130,000 people and caused its GDP to drop by 8.9% in 2020.
The country is gradually recovering: the vaccination program has kept infection rates low and Italy is expected to experience growth of 5.8% this year, according to the latest IMF forecasts.