Officials said on Thursday that the Italian government is preparing an authorization requiring all workers to hold a “green pass” for COVID-19, which is a vaccine passport.
“We are moving towards a mandatory green pass, not only for workers in the public sector, but also for workers in the private sector,” Regional Affairs Minister Mariastella Gelmini quoted local media as saying on Wednesday. She said: “Vaccines are our only weapon against COVID. We can only control the infection by vaccinating the vast majority of the population.”
Mariastra said that the cabinet meeting “will be an important moment” to force all private and public sector workers in the country to obtain green passes. If Italy completes this task, it will become the first country in Europe to do so.
Several European countries, such as France or Switzerland, have vaccine passport requirements for gyms, restaurants, bars, and similar businesses, as well as long-distance travel. However, it has not yet been enforced for private sector employees. Last week, President Joe Biden announced that he would instruct the federal government to implement a regulation requiring approximately 80 million private employees in the United States to either be vaccinated or tested for COVID-19 every week.
In France, large-scale demonstrations are held every week to oppose vaccine passports. Opponents of the rule say it is discriminatory and a violation of personal freedom.
According to Reuters, Italian officials said that if there is no green pass or “certificazione verde” in Italian, it may cause workers to be suspended and lose their wages. It is not clear whether it can be used as a reason for dismissal.
According to Italian media reports, the Minister of Health, Robert Spinoza (Robert Spinoza) said in an interview this week that the move was intended to stimulate more vaccinations in Italy. Italian officials said they hope to vaccinate everyone 12 years and older by the end of this month.
Los Angeles County Director of Public Health, Dr. Barbara Ferrell, stated during a meeting that in the United States, Los Angeles County will implement a vaccine passport on Wednesday to enter certain businesses (such as bars, nightclubs, breweries, lounges, and related businesses). Of the most populous city. Supervisory board meeting. New York City, New Orleans and San Francisco have also made similar demands.
“This is a reasonable path forward and will enable us to better break the surge cycle,” Ferrer told the board. She added: “This revised health officials order meets the continuing need to reduce the risk of transmission and increase vaccination coverage.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
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This News Originally From – The Epoch Times
