Covid today Italy, from vaccination obligation to outdoor masks: what changes

From school to the Green pass through outdoor masks and compulsory vaccination at work. Anti covid measures and rules have changed and continue to change. Since yesterday, Monday 7 February, the changes foreseen by the decree approved last February 2 for students have come into force. The green certificate has become increasingly necessary, as it must also be shown in post offices, banks or tobacconists to buy cigarettes. And from February 15, the enhanced version will be indispensable for public and private workers with 50 years of age who will enter the workplace. Read also Stop outdoor masks obligation and end of emergency The latest news concerns outdoor masks. According to what was announced by the undersecretary of health Andrea Costa from 11 February they will no longer be mandatory throughout Italy, regardless of the color of the area. On 31 December, the executive decided to extend the measure of the obligation for another 10 days. The order expires on 10 February: according to what Costa has declared, it will therefore not be reconfirmed. “I am sure that from 11 February” in Italy “the obligation to wear an outdoor mask will fall not only for the white areas, but for the whole country and this could be a first sign of a restart, of trust and hope. “, Costa affirmed, adding:” This is a discussion that is taking place in these hours and I have reasons to say that we can go in this direction. So what I am expressing I hope is the position of the Government. remove the masks outdoors regardless of the colors of the various regions “. Costa also spoke of the state of emergency:” The government’s goal is that it not be extended after March 31 and I trust that there are the conditions not to extend it ” . As for the Green pass, it indicates a possible date of gradual easing from mid-March. “I make a simple and common sense reasoning”, he explained: “The Green pass has been very useful to encourage vaccination and so we must keep in mind that it is essential to administer the third dose because it is the one that protects us the most from the serious consequences of the disease. . So – Costa said – if we consider that in our country about 48 million citizens are vaccinated and 35 million have received the booster dose, it means that we have about 13 million doses to administer “. “If we proceed at this pace – he stressed – it is easy to think that by mid-March we will have completed the booster dose to 48 million fellow citizens. From there a new phase will certainly begin and, as we have gradually introduced the restrictions, with the usual graduality we will begin a relaxation of the measures “. School The novelties for schools envisaged by the decree approved last February 2 came into force yesterday, Monday 7 February. The new rules are retroactive and affect everyone, even the thousands of students who are already at home in distance learning because in their classes there have been cases of positivity. Here is the framework of the rules: Up to 4 positive cases of covid continue to be attended in the nursery and kindergarten. No action is needed if children are asymptomatic. In case of symptoms, it is necessary to undergo a swab (molecular, antigenic, do-it-yourself) and the return to class can take place after a negative test and without a medical certificate. If there are 5 positives in class, stop attending and return subject to a negative swab: children vaccinated or cured for less than 4 months are exempt. In elementary school, teaching in the presence of up to 4 positive cases in class. However, you go to the classroom wearing the Ffp2 mask for a period of 10 days starting from the last contact with the positive. The students positive to the virus will be able to re-enter after the negative result of a swab (molecular, rapid, do it yourself), to which the other children will have to undergo only in case of the presence of symptoms. The picture changes and splits in two if there are at least 5 positive cases. Unvaccinated subjects – as well as those who have been vaccinated or have been cured for over 120 days – cannot attend in person and must resort to Ddi (integrated digital teaching ) from home. Students who have been vaccinated or recovered for less than 4 months, on the other hand, can go to class wearing the Ffp2 mask for a period of 10 days. The return to class of positive, unvaccinated or vaccinated and cured for more than 4 months can occur after a negative swab. teaching activity continues in the presence: in the classroom the Ffp2 mask must be worn for a period of 10 days. The positive subject can re-enter after a negative swab, without having to present a medical certificate. If the positive cases are 2 or more than 2, the distinction occurs. Unvaccinated students – as well as those who have been vaccinated or recovered from covid for over 120 days – will need to use Did. Those who have been vaccinated or recovered for less than 120 days, on the other hand, will be able to follow the lessons face-to-face wearing the Ffp2 mask. Positive and unvaccinated / vaccinated or cured for more than 120 days, must always carry a test that ascertains the negativity. The others must be subjected to the verification of the Green pass with the verification app C-19 for the 5 days following the knowledge of the last case. Green pass and vaccination obligation From 1 February the Green pass – which is obtained with the vaccine, if you are cured of Covid but also with a negative swab performed 48 hours before if antigenic or 72 hours if rapid – is also necessary to go to the post offices, banks or tobacconists to buy cigarettes. It is also necessary to enter public offices, financial offices and commercial activities (ie shops). But food and basic needs, health, safety and justice will always be guaranteed – going to a barracks, for example, to file a complaint – without the need to show the green certificate. The Green pass is therefore not needed to enter all the shops that mainly sell food and drink products (hypermarkets, supermarkets, grocery discount stores, mini-markets and other non-specialized shops of various foods). Access to open-air markets is also free, in shops for the retail trade of frozen products. The government has made it clear that free access to all these “commercial establishments allows the purchase of any type of goods, even if not linked to the satisfaction of essential and primary needs “. Even security and justice requirements will always be guaranteed – going to a barracks, for example, to file a complaint – without the need to show the green certificate. For people who access the services and activities in which it is mandatory to have it without a Green Pass, there is a penalty of between 400 and 1,000 euros. The same sanction is applied to the person required to check possession of the Green pass if he omits the control. covid: for all those who do not comply with the vaccination obligation, in fact, a one-off penalty of 100 euros is envisaged. The sanction is imposed by the Revenue Agency, through the crossing of the data of the resident population with those resulting from the regional or provincial vaccination registries. pass for public and private workers aged 50 who will enter the workplace. “The obligation does not exist in the event of an ascertained danger to health, in relation to specific clinical conditions documented, certified by the general practitioner or by the vaccinator, in compliance with the circulars of the Ministry of Health regarding exemption from the anti SARS vaccination -CoV-2; in such cases the vaccination can be omitted or deferred. Immunization following a natural disease, proven by the notification made by the attending physician, determines the postponement of the vaccination “. The Green pass has become unlimited for those who have three doses of the vaccine or is cured and has at least two doses of the vaccine. For those who have two doses (or one plus healing), the certificate is valid for 6 months. Quarantine As for the quarantine, it has been reduced to 5 days for the unvaccinated and for those who have not completed the vaccination cycle against covid in case of close contact with a positive person. The end of the quarantine is conditioned by the negative result of a rapid or molecular test after 5 days and it is mandatory to wear the Ffp2 mask also for the following 5 days. For those who received the booster dose or completed the primary vaccination course within 120 days, who recovered within 120 days, or who recovered after completion of the primary course if asymptomatic, there is only five-day self-monitoring and the obligation to wear the Fffp2 mask for a total of ten days. If no symptoms have emerged, a negative swab is not needed at the exit