Particularly in mourning at the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, Italy is however far from being won over to the cause of the vaccine. While the compulsory health pass to go to work comes into force, three million Italians are still not vaccinated. The refusal of the vaccine is particularly strong in certain branches of activity: up to 30% of the 900,000 drivers, couriers and warehouse workers are not vaccinated, as are a quarter of the 400,000 Italian and foreign agricultural workers.
However, the Draghi government’s bet is on the way to being won. 560,000 new health passes were downloaded on Wednesday and 860,000 on Thursday. But this mandatory health pass, which exposes workers to be noted absent or even a fine of 1,500 euros if they come to work without a pass, is contested. The tests are not free in Italy. So you have to pay (maximum 15 euros per test) to work, which seems unfair to many.
The unions would have preferred the vaccination obligation. Large demonstrations are expected across the country, while several actions to block ports and warehouses took place in the morning. Three hundred dockers, for example, set up a picket line at an entrance to the port of Genoa (north-west) to prevent trucks from delivering.