The protests are loud, even if they come from a small minority. Because more than 80 percent of Italians over the age of twelve have already been vaccinated.
The new regulation, with which the Italian government wants to further increase the vaccination rate, affects 23 million people: Only those who have been vaccinated with at least one dose or who have recovered less than six months ago or who currently tested negative are allowed to appear at work with immediate effect. The 3G rule even applies in the home office. Otherwise, there is a risk that all vaccination and certificate opponents will simply say goodbye to work from home, according to the government’s reasoning. Only people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons are exempt from the certificate requirement.
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You need to provide a medical certificate. The government is working on a QR code just for them. Corona tests are chargeable in Italy. From now on, opponents of vaccinations will have to pay 15 euros out of their own pocket for testing several times a week just to get to their workplace. Large corporations such as Michelin, Metro or Pirelli offer their employees free tests, at least temporarily, in order to keep operations going. But in general it will be difficult to test them all three times a week in good time – pharmacies and laboratories already have waiting lists, and in some cities they are fully booked until December. It is uncertain whether they will get the high demand under control.
Heavy fines
The fines are high: anyone caught at work without a green pass risks a fine: 600 to 1500 euros. Even the employer who does not check has to pay: 400 to 1000 euros.
The anger is correspondingly great. Thousands of demonstrators came to Trieste, where some groups of workers had threatened to block the port operations altogether. There were also demonstrations against the new 3-G rule in other large ports such as Genoa and Venice. In addition, truck drivers threatened to block the highways. Your arguments sound plausible: Not only are you sitting alone in the truck, the 3-G rules do not apply to foreign carriers. They also complain that they maintained supplies during the lockdown and are now awaiting concession from the government.
While the protests across the country were largely calm yesterday, there was great nervousness in Rome, where criticism of the government is particularly fierce. There was great fear that protests like last Saturday would repeat themselves today. 10,000 people gathered peacefully last week before violent riots broke out.
