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COVID-19 RULES

EXPLAINED: What changes under Italy’s new Covid decree?

The Italian government has published details of new public health measures brought in to halt soaring infections fuelled by the Omicron variant. Here are the changes coming into force.

Published: 23 December 2021 17:05 CET
Updated: 27 December 2021 09:30 CET
Bystanders wait outside a pharmacy to get tested for coronavirus (Covid-19) before Christmas, in Rome, on December 23, 2021.
Italy has reintroduced outdoor mask wearing and health pass requirement in response to the rising Omicron wave. Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP

This article was updated on December 27th

Italy’s government on Thursday night unanimously approved stricter rules on public gatherings and the use of health passes, with a new decree announced by Health Minister Roberto Speranza.

The decree has brought back the obligation to wear masks outdoors, temporarily banned public events and will also shorten the validity of Italy’s ‘green pass’ Covid health certificate.

READ ALSO: Covid-19: Italy makes outdoor mask wearing compulsory

While Speranza did not immediately state when the new rules would come into force, the government’s final decree published on Friday, December 24th (see the full text here in Italian) clarified that some changes were effective immediately as of Saturday and others set to come in during January and February.

Here’s a breakdown of what does (and doesn’t) change under the new decree, and when:

Gatherings and parties

  • No public outdoor events – Outdoor public events and parties have been temporarily banned during the festive season, from December 25th-December 31st, after many local authorities had already chosen to cancel Christmas and New Year’s Eve events in towns and cities across the country.
  • Nightlife – Nightclubs and dance venues will be closed immediately until January 31st.
  • No limits on guests at home – Unlike last year, the decree does not set limits on the number of guests you can have at home for Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas Day lunch, Boxing Day or New Year’s Eve.

Green pass

  • Extension of green pass rules in bars – Effective from December 25th, the government has extended the ‘reinforced’ or ‘super’ green pass requirement to bars and restaurants – including for bar service. Until now, ordering and consuming food and drinks at the bar has been allowed without any ‘green pass’ restrictions. The changes mean proof of vaccination or recovery from Covid-19 is now required even to drink coffee while standing at the counter.
  • ‘Super’ green pass extension: Meanwhile, from January 10th the reinforced or ‘super’ green pass proving vaccination or recovery will become a requirement in more venues, including museums, gyms and swimming pools, team sports training venues, indoor wellness centres and spas (except for essential care and rehabilitative or therapeutic activities), cultural, social and recreational centres (excluding educational centres for children), theme and amusement parks, gambling halls, bingo halls and casinos.
  • Green pass validity cut to six months – From February 1st, the validity of the ‘green pass’ health certificate is to be cut from nine months to six.

Masks

  • Outdoor mask requirement – After discussions for many weeks, Italy has reintroduced the mandatory wearing of face masks in outdoor spaces, even in the lowest risk ‘white’ zones. The rule change is in force from December 25th until at least January 31st.
  • FFP2 mask requirement – FFP2 face masks, which are more efficient than standard face masks, are required in certain venues including cinemas, theatres, sporting events and on public transport as of December 31st.

Vaccines

  • Booster jabs after four months – From January 10th, booster jabs can be administered four months after the last dose instead of the current five months, confirmed Italy’s pandemic emergency commissioner on Monday.
  • No vaccine mandate extension – The government had also discussed the possibility of extending the vaccination mandate to more state employees but this change was not approved. A vaccine obligation was extended to teachers, police and emergency services workers on December 15th and has applied to all healthcare workers since April.

Travel

  • Random testing – The government hasn’t made many changes to travel – just one minor move to contain the spread of the virus in Italy. Anyone entering the country for tourism, work or any other reason may be asked to undergo random antigenic or molecular tests, with controls to be stepped up at ports, airports, stations and borders. In the case of a positive result, travellers will be placed in temporary isolation for a period of ten days. Anyone who tests positive and has no suitable accommodation can be required to stay in a Covid hotel at their own expense, according to the final decree text published on December 24th.

See the latest news and updates from The Local on Italy’s current Covid-19 health measures and travel restrictions.

For further details about Italy’s current Covid-19 health measures please see the Italian Health Ministry’s website (available in English).

Member comments

  1. I was talking about what I learned in this article, and I really looked foolish, because the Green Pass information here is totally backward. The reduction in Green Pass validity *starts* on Feb. 1. (see https://www.dgc.gov.it/web/). Now, I believe in verifying information, but shouldn’t I be able to count on getting correct, crucial information from The Local?

    1. Hi Ben,

      The original version of this article stated repeatedly that the Italian government had not, at the time of writing, announced when the new measures would come in and that this was as yet unknown. So we’re not sure what incorrect information you’re referring to here.

      The timing of the introduction of each change was not mentioned in the initial announcement, and only confirmed when the final decree text was published on December 24th. We have since updated the article with the new information.

      1. Hi Clare,

        Perhaps I had the misfortune of reading an interim version of the article with some combination of edits that produced the incorrect information.

        Here is how the article read when I saw it (the update as of 24 December 2021 11:05 CET; I can send you the PDF if you’d like to examine it):

        Here’s a breakdown of the changes, expected to be applied in the next few days and will cover the period until January 31st.

        Gatherings and parties

        Green pass
        • Temporary extension of green pass rules in bars
        • Green pass validity cut to six months – The validity of the ‘green pass’ health certificate is to be cut from nine months to six, and the reinforced or ‘super’ green pass proving vaccination or recovery will become a requirement in more venues, including museums, gyms and swimming pools, team sports training venues, indoor wellness centres and spas (except for essential care and rehabilitative or therapeutic activities), cultural, social and recreational centres (excluding educational centres for children), theme and amusement parks, gambling halls, bingo halls and casinos.

        Does that make my confusion more clear?

        Thank you for correcting the article later. I appreciate the Local’s service, but I hope you can understand why this was a disappointing moment.

        1. The comments editor saw my “snips” as html tags and cut them out, but consider the ellipses to indicate cuts I made for brevity’s sake:

          Gatherings and parties
          … 
          Green pass
          • Temporary extension of green pass rules in bars … 

  2. So the Green Pass expires six months after a. your last vax or b. feb 1? And then what? more shots, new pass, change of vax status? I’m old and so is my vax. What know?

  3. So I am still a bit confused. I received my booster (3rd dose) in December and my wife got her 3rd dose in November.

    Do we need a 4th dose for the summer? Can you even get a 4th dose?

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HEALTH

Italy’s schools warned to ‘avoid gatherings’ as Covid cases rise

As Italy’s new school year began, masks and hand sanitiser were distributed in schools and staff were asked to prevent gatherings to help stem an increase in Covid infections.

Published: 11 September 2023 12:48 CEST
Italy’s schools warned to ‘avoid gatherings’ as Covid cases rise

Pupils returned to school in many parts of Italy on Monday and authorities said they were distributing masks and hand sanitiser amid a post-summer increase in the number of recorded cases of Covid–19.

“The advice coming from principals, teachers and janitors is to avoid gatherings of students, especially in these first days of school,” Mario Rusconi, head of Italy’s Principals’ Association, told Rai news on Monday.

He added that local authorities in many areas were distributing masks and hand sanitizer to schools who had requested them.

“The use of personal protective equipment is recommended for teachers and students who are vulnerable,” he said, confirming that “use is not mandatory.”

A previous requirement for students to wear masks in the classroom was scrapped at the beginning of the last academic year.

Walter Ricciardi, former president of the Higher Health Institute (ISS), told Italy’s La Stampa newspaper on Monday that the return to school brings the risk of increased Covid infections.

Ricciardi described the health ministry’s current guidelines for schools as “insufficient” and said they were “based on politics rather than scientific criteria.”

READ ALSO:

Recorded cases of Covid have increased in most Italian regions over the past three weeks, along with rates of hospitalisation and admittance to intensive care, as much of the country returns to school and work following the summer holidays.

Altogether, Italy recorded 21,309 new cases in the last week, an increase of 44 percent compared to the 14,863 seen the week before.

While the World Health Organisation said in May that Covid was no longer a “global health emergency,” and doctors say currently circulating strains of the virus in Italy are not a cause for alarm, there are concerns about the impact on elderly and clinically vulnerable people with Italy’s autumn Covid booster campaign yet to begin.

“We have new variants that we are monitoring but none seem more worrying than usual,” stated Fabrizio Maggi, director of the Virology and Biosafety Laboratories Unit of the Lazzaro Spallanzani Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rome

He said “vaccination coverage and hybrid immunity can only translate into a milder disease in young and healthy people,” but added that “vaccinating the elderly and vulnerable continues to be important.”

Updated vaccines protecting against both flu and Covid are expected to arrive in Italy at the beginning of October, and the vaccination campaign will begin at the end of October, Rai reported.

Amid the increase in new cases, Italy’s health ministry last week issued a circular mandating Covid testing on arrival at hospital for patients with symptoms.

Find more information about Italy’s current Covid-19 situation and vaccination campaign on the Italian health ministry’s website (available in English).

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