L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano W h i l e t h e v a c c i - n a t i o n c a m - p a i g n against Covid-19 in Italy and Europe continues, new ways to limit the spread of t h e d i s e a s e , w h i c h h a s become more contagious because of its delta variant, h a v e b e e n d i s c u s s e d a n d implemented around the c o n t i n e n t . L a s t w e e k , France – where cases have risen exponentially – made the EU green pass com- p u l s o r y t o a c c e s s p u b l i c e v e n t s , r e s t a u r a n t s a n d public transports across the country, in a bid not only to limit the circulation of the virus, but also to push more people to get vaccinated. I tal y may be soon fol l ow suit. But, first of all, what is the EU green pass? Officially known as the E U D i g i t a l C o v i d Certificate, it is the digital proof that you have either b e e n f u l l y v a c c i n a t e d against Covid-19 (it is valid for 9 months from the date o f t h e s e c o n d d o s e ) o r recovered from Covid-19 in t h e p a s t 6 m o n t h s , o r received a negative PCR test result within the previous 72 hours (48 for rapid anti- gen tests, where accepted). The certificate can be either downloaded or printed and contains a QR code with a digital signature to ensure it cannot be falsified. Right now, travel among E U c o u n t r i e s i s a l l o w e d without quarantine (unless further restrictions based on infection rates exist) for all people with the green pass, but it is clear the document will soon become a necessi- ty also for other activities, j u s t a s i t h a p p e n e d l a s t week in France. As of today (21 st of July 2021), more than 50% of Italians over 12 years of age have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and 70% received at least one dose of v a c c i n e . H o w e v e r , t h e Italian government and the CTS (Technical Scientific Committee, the specialized m e d i c o - s c i e n t i f i c b o d y working with the govern- ment during the pandemic) feel there are still too many people who are refusing the jab, or remain undecided: t h i s c o u l d c r e a t e i s s u e s , especially later in the year, when schools reopen and t h e c o l d s e a s o n r e t u r n s . And while daily cases are far from the peak of the winter months, they have been ris- ing steadily, partly because of the higher infectiousness of the delta variant, partly because people – especially young and non vaccinated – have been enjoying the sun and the holidays, gathering more often. M o s t l i k e l y , t h e g r e e n pass will be used to access all public events like fairs, concerts, parades, to travel o n p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t s , i n c l u d i n g l o n g d i s t a n c e trains and national flights, to enter cinemas and the- atres and to take part to all types of large gatherings, such as weddings. The CTS and part of the government, however, support also the u s e o f t h e g r e e n p a s s t o access restaurants indoors, an option which displeases part of the majority (Lega a n d a s e c t i o n o f F o r z a Italia) and the opposition (Fratelli d'Italia). There are other issues at s t a k e , t h o u g h . W i t h t h e increasing number of cases across the country (+61% in a week), the hypothesis of closures and restrictions (evening curfews, limited opening hours for cafés and restaurants) is real for some regions, including Lazio and Sicily. However, it has been argued, thanks to vaccines and to the younger age of the people infected, current cases are not as serious, and our hospitals – including ICU units – remain largely empty. For this reason, the government and the CTS are discussing new parame- t e r s t o d e c i d e w h e t h e r r e s t r i c t i o n s s h o u l d b e applied, not based on the number of infections but, rather, on the percentage of p e o p l e v a c c i n a t e d i n a region, and that of people h o s p i t a l i z e d . A t t h e moment, it is likely a region will enter the "yellow zone" (face masks compulsory also outdoors, dining allowed only outdoors and limited opening hours for restau- rants and cafés) when hos- pitalizations reach 5% of I C U c a p a c i t y a n d 1 0 % o f regular wards capacity. Decisions are also expect- ed tomorrow in relation to o t h e r i m p o r t a n t i s s u e s , including compulsory vacci- n a t i o n f o r t e a c h e r s a n d school personnel, as well as better outreach for those categories – the under 29 and the over 60, in particu- lar – who have been answer- ing too slowly to the call to g e t v a c c i n a t e d . I n d e e d , while the vaccination cam- paign has been going fast, there are still too many peo- ple refusing to get inoculat- ed, either for fear or lack of i n f o r m a t i o n : i t i s p a r a - mount that rates of vaccina- tion among these categories increase quickly, if we want to avoid the risk of a fourth wave in the Fall, experts say. E a r l i e r t o d a y , Confindustria (the Italian a s s o c i a t i o n o f t r a d e a n d business) proposed to intro- duce the use of the green pass also for employees and workers of affiliated compa- nies, creating a wave of dis- dain among workers unions' representatives. Talks will continue today in Rome, with official meet- ings taking place tomorrow and a new DPCM (decreto del Presidente del Consiglio d e i M i n i s t r i , t h a t i s , a d e c r e e f r o m o u r P r i m e Minister) is expected later in the week. On the table, also discussions about the extension of the national s t a t e o f e m e r g e n c y u n t i l either October or the end of 2021. Green pass: will the Covid-19 vaccination certificate be needed to access public places? FRANCESCA BEZZONE A valid Covid-19 vaccination certificate (the "green pass") will probably be necessary soon to access a number of public places (Photo: Michele Ursi/Dreamstime) NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS

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