ROMA – The meeting of the control room called by the Prime Minister ended after two hours in Palazzo Chigi, Mario Draghi, to take stock of the epidemiological situation and to evaluate the new measures useful to stop the infections – also in view of the Christmas and New Year holidays – in front of the Omicron variant race that has come to touch, according to the data that the Higher Institute of health care explained during the meeting, 28.2 percent of infections. The meeting was attended, in addition to the premier and the heads of delegation of the majority parties, also the president of the Higher Institute of Health, Silvio Brusaferro, and the President of the Superior Health Council, Franco Locatelli.
At 5 pm the meeting of the Council of Ministers is scheduled to dissolve the last knots and ratify the decisions of the executive, shortly before there will be a meeting with the Regions.
Here are the measures discussed by the control room:
Durata green pass
From 1 February 2022, reduction of the duration of the vaccination Green Pass from 9 to 6 months. The start of the measure is postponed compared to the others to avoid that too many citizens remain without Green Certification and that a difficultly manageable vaccination funnel is created.
Booster after 4 months
By order of the Minister of Health, the minimum period for administering the third dose will be reduced from 5 to 4 months from the completion of the primary vaccination cycle. However, we are expecting this technical investigation and the OK from the Italian Medicines Agency.
Obligation to wear masks outdoors
There is an obligation to wear masks outdoors even in the white area. Several mayors and governors had already established it locally in view of shopping and Christmas gatherings, now the rule becomes national.
Ffp2 masks indoors
The obligation of Ffp2 is also introduced in cinemas, theaters and for sporting events, as well as on means of transport (trains, planes, ferries but also buses, trams and metro and all local public transport). The possibility of lowering prices is evaluated, especially for students.
Catering and consumption of food and drink
Until January 31st, the extension of the reinforced Green Pass obligation (that is, the one available only for vaccinated and recovered people) to indoor catering, even at the counter, is foreseen. Those who have the only negative result of the swab will therefore not be able to have a coffee or a cocktail or eat a sandwich at the bar counter, but only among the outdoor tables.
No food and drinks in cinemas or sports halls
It is also forbidden to consume food and drinks indoors, in cinemas, theaters and for sporting events.
Stop to outdoor parties
Finally, until January 31st, there is a ban on events and parties that involve gatherings in the open.
But there are also other issues under discussion:
Vaccination obligation
We are also studying the extension of the vaccination obligation to other categories of workers, after health and school personnel, law enforcement and armed forces. «It is a measure that always remains in the background. It has never been excluded, ”President Draghi reiterated yesterday in a press conference. There is insistence on public administration workers. The measure meets the favor of the responsible minister Renato Brunetta: “I – he said – would apply it to the whole world of work, public and private”. The measure, according to sources from the control room, is defined as “under discussion but very probable”. The other way is to apply an indirect obligation with the Super Pass request on the workplace.
Pad for discos and dance halls
The possibility of asking, in addition to the Super Green Pass, a swab from those who have not yet taken the third dose to spend an evening at a disco, in a dance club, at a party organized between 28 and December 31st. Therefore, from a New Year’s Eve perspective. Only those who have the “Mega Green Pass”, the third dose one, would be sure not to have to undergo further tests.
Super Pass in gyms, swimming pools, museums, spas
Also in the field is the idea of extending the Super Green Pass to all those activities in which, at least in the white area, it was possible to access even with a single pad: gyms, swimming pools, exhibitions, museums, spas and wellness centers (except for essential assistance and rehabilitation or therapeutic activities), theme and amusement parks, cultural centers, indoor social and recreational centers (excluding educational centers for children), game rooms, betting rooms, bingo halls and casinos.
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