Italy to 'suspend' employees found without COVID vaccine certificate, state officials

As Italy approved a decree making the COVID-19 immunity passports or the 'Green Pass' mandatory for public and private sector workers, officials on Friday reportedly warned that any employee found without a health vaccine certificate "will be suspended on the spot" and will not be entitled to pay for up to five days, the Italian press reported. Although the termination would not imply that the worker is permanently fired. The employers were asked to take the stringent step in order to push the vaccine-hesitant employees to get the COVID-19 vaccines and boosting the EU nation's inoculation campaign in the face of the emerging deadly variants.

Italy, on Friday, became the first country in Europe to introduce vaccine certificate obligation for the fully inoculated population. The certificate is a joint work by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Minister for Technological Innovation and Digital Transition, in collaboration with the executive committee of the Commissioner for the COVID-19 emergency and with the support of the technology partner Sogei, which will feature a QR Code to verify its authenticity and validity, Italian health Ministry informed. 

“The document attests to one of the following criteria: vaccination against COVID-19, a negative antigenic or molecular swab taken within the last 48 hours, or recovery from the infection. In order to protect personal data, the QR code on the certificate should only be shown to staff legally required to carry out checks,” Italy’s Ministry of health mentioned on its website.

To host a 'safe' work environment

The Italian government had made it compulsory for the citizens to show ‘Green Pass’ for admission to museums, galleries, sports, entertainment venues, and indoor dining to prevent the virus from the spread in crowded settings since August 2021.  The country had also mandated the vaccine certificate for all domestic and sea travel, as well as for flights and public transportation such as a train. Announcing the measure on Friday at the state briefing, the Italian health officials said that it was now necessary to carry a health pass, or "green pass" to prove that the individual was either fully vaccinated with the two-shot regime, had tested negative, or has recovered from the coronavirus and will not be spreader.

The Green pass, it said, can be produced in either digital and paper format effective Oct. 15. Officials reportedly warned that any employee that is found without a health vaccine certificate will be suspended on the spot and will not be entitled to pay for up to five days, he or she, however, but will not be permanently fired. 

"We are extending the obligation of the green pass to the entire world of work, public and private, and we are doing so for two essential reasons: to make these places safer and to make our vaccination campaign even stronger," Italy's health minister, Roberto Speranza was reported saying in a state news briefing in remarks translated by Euronews. 

Guidance was rolled out for the employers to ensure that the workers were fully jabbed to host a safe work environment for those not working remotely and were reporting to the workplace. Employees that availed the pensions were exempted from the new regulation. Italy has vaccinated at least 74 percent of citizens with at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, while a total 68 percent population was fully inoculated, according to the health ministry data. The digital or the printed version of the vaccine certificate would allow ease of movement for those in the areas that may be classified as 'red zone' or 'orange zone’ due to high COVID-19 cases. According to the Italian health ministry, the citizens would also start receiving notifications by email or text message advising them that the certificate is available and a code to download it onto their PC, tablet, or smartphone.