Italy introduced new restrictions for people who are not vaccinated against covid-19, who will not be able to access restaurants or travel by plane within the country, according to the measures that took effect on Monday.
People who have recently overcome covid-19 are exempt from this obligation.
The restrictions for the unvaccinated were adopted due to the increase in infections, even among children.
Italy also introduced mandatory vaccination for people over 50 last week.
The opening of the schools this Monday raises debate within the government, due to the request of the principals of the schools and the doctors’ union to postpone the return to classes for at least 15 days.
Virologist Massimo Galli, from the Sacco Hospital in Milan, called the opening of the schools a “reckless and unjustified” decision, while public health expert Walter Ricciardi called the situation “explosive”.
More than 1,000 municipalities have decided to keep schools closed, according to local media information.
Italy, the first European country affected by the coronavirus in early 2020, has registered about 140,000 deaths.
More than 86% of those over 12 years of age have been vaccinated and about 15% of children ages five to eleven have received the first dose.
The national railway company, Trenitalia, announced on Monday the cancellation of 180 regional trains due to coronavirus infections.
Until March 31, it will be necessary to present the complete vaccination certificate or that the contagion has recently recovered, to be able to enter restaurants, hotels and sports centers, as well as buses, trains, airplanes and boats.
FFP2 masks are mandatory in theaters, cinemas, sports stadiums and on all means of public transport.
The unvaccinated inhabitants of the small Italian islands, who had warned that they ran the risk of being in “forced exile” by the new rules, obtained an additional permit.
For those inhabitants – for whom boats and planes are the only means of leaving and returning to the islands – they will be able to continue traveling by presenting a simple negative test until February 10.
