To avoid at all costs a new confinement in the face of the Omicron wave, Italy is still tightening the screw. Since Monday, January 10, the unvaccinated can no longer be satisfied with presenting a negative test to go to places frequented by the public. Hotels, restaurants, cinemas, stadiums ... You will not only have to wear an FFP2 mask but also present a vaccination pass, called a "Reinforced green pass", proving that one has been immunized by a complete cycle of vaccination or that the 'we contracted the disease recently. The only exception are cultural places. Museums and exhibitions remain accessible for the time being on presentation of a simple pass, with a simple test of less than 48 hours, in the white and yellow regions. From February 1,any Italian over 50 must also be vaccinated against the Covid, under penalty of a fine of 100 euros. And from the 15th, non-essential shops will only be accessible to the unvaccinated after a test.
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From now on, public transport is prohibited for the unvaccinated. To take the long-distance train but also the plane, the boat, and even the metro or the bus, the vaccination pass is necessary. At least in principle. On observation, controls are for the time being almost invisible at the entrance to public transport except in high traffic intersection points. “
We cannot be everywhere
, acknowledges the Italian press agency ANSA Donatella Scafati, the head of a local police team, near Termini station in Rome,
but we are on the main roads .
x. "
Even in controlled places, the agent busy controlling a passer-by with ten passes.
On the first day, only about ten fines were imposed on Rome for lack of Super Green Pass or FFP2 mask.
"Out of around 10,000 checks, 200 people were turned back at stations during checks carried out by Trenitalia, ie less than 1.9% of the total"
estimated Transport Minister Enrico Giovanini.
In Milan, Turin and Naples, a few dozen sanctions at most have been imposed, generally for wearing the "wrong mask", the surgical one.
No more coffee on the terrace without a vaccine
In the islands, the fear of being stuck, unable to climb on a ferry, pushed elected officials to call for an easing. Which was granted for the smallest, where the date of presentation of the pass has been postponed to February 10 for residents studying or moving for health reasons. But a priori not for tourists. Yesterday at the pier of San Francesco in Messina, the queues of those seeking to cross the strait slowed down the boat, prompting the mayor to threaten to "block the strait" if the rule was not changed to guarantee territorial continuity with Sicily.
If public transport is difficult to control, the control of vaccine passes may be more severe in places with more modest flows such as ski lifts, amusement parks, swimming pools, sports halls, wellness centers and spas. , gaming rooms and casinos. Access has also been severely restricted to the restaurant, where it is no longer possible to consume, not even on the terrace or at the counter, without presenting your vaccination pass. All the restaurateurs have downloaded the C19 Verificazione app which allows a quick check of the sesame. But, between contagions and quarantines, the staff is running out and everywhere, the queues are getting longer. Likewise, the wave that erupted among train drivers and crew members forced Trenitalia to cancel 180 trains.
Nevertheless, the effect of these new restrictions is still difficult to perceive, the flows having drastically reduced since the beginning of the year.
There is an air of "
masked confinement
" says
La Stampa
.
Without knowing if this is due to the measures themselves, the return of the pandemic or the winter months which push more people to stay at home.
The months of January and February are a well-known low in the tourist season.
But beyond that, remote work has resumed strongly, emptying bars and restaurants, but also public transport and non-essential stores.
As if everyone had now internalized the health constraint.
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Vaccination certificate from 6 years old (valid for nine months after the injection of the second dose).
Until January 31, 2022, a negative test (48 hour PCR or 24 hour antigen) is also required.
Unvaccinated tourists must, in addition to having a negative test and respecting a five-day quarantine.
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