Corona in Italy: compulsory vaccination for over 50-year-olds works – politics

In Italy, all key figures for the pandemic are rising, including one that inspires a bit of confidence. The first vaccinations have increased significantly for a few days, more than they have been since autumn. Middle and older people in particular are queuing up to be vaccinated, which the government in Rome explains with the new mandatory vaccination for people over 50 years of age.

“It is not easy to convince skeptics,” says General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, special commissioner for the vaccination campaign. “But we’re doing everything we can.” Soon the major vaccination centers in the country will also be open overnight, seven days a week. In Lombardy, which again reports the most new infections, this is already the case. People over 50 always have priority, and more than two million of them have not yet been vaccinated. There are enough cans, says Figliuolo, at the moment a total of 27 million. The state, so the message, is fulfilling its obligation. Now it’s up to the citizens.

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Last week, Italy became the first large country in Europe to introduce a general, job-independent vaccination requirement for an age group. Prime Minister Mario Draghi justified the step by stating that the over 50-year-olds would be better protected, the most endangered part of the population, and thus reduce the pressure on the health care system. And that without slowing down the economy, which has finally started to grow robustly again.

The government saw itself prompted to take strict measures due to the skyrocketing contagion figures; The pressure had also increased in the intensive care units, around 1,600 beds are currently occupied; before Christmas it was 1,000. Two thirds of those hospitalized are not vaccinated, one third is elderly and vulnerable. So the decision has an inner logic.

100 euros fine for those unwilling to vaccinate? Many find it a mockery

But for the first time in his tenure, Draghi has been heavily criticized. On the one hand, there was resistance from his government partners Lega and Cinque Stelle, who stopped the Prime Minister from compulsory vaccination for young people and urged him to compromise. On the other hand, this is exactly what disappointed those who advocate compulsory vaccination for all citizens over the age of 18. The sanctions that are supposed to enforce compulsory vaccination over 50 have also met with criticism. Anyone who has not been vaccinated at least once by February 1st will automatically receive a fine of 100 euros from the tax office.

A sum that seems like a mockery to many. The post of a young nurse attracted attention on social media, when she wrote the following sentence on the photo of her tired face, which was marked by the protective mask: “100 euros – that’s the price for our health, our life.” The government justified itself by stating that the fines for workers are significantly higher: Anyone who appears at work from February 15 without having been vaccinated or having recovered from Covid-19 for less than six months should pay 600 to 1500 euros for this breach of the law atone But just: That doesn’t apply to everyone.

Compulsory vaccination is just one way to convince skeptics and opponents to give up their aversion to vaccination. On Monday, a number of other measures came into force in Italy that radically limit the lives of people without a “Super Green Pass”. Public transport, for example, whether national or local, may only be used by those who have either been vaccinated or have just recovered. So far, the normal Green Pass, i.e. 3G, was sufficient. If you still want to travel in Italy without a Super Green Pass, you can only do so with your private vehicle.

The government only grants an exception to the unvaccinated inhabitants of dozens of small Italian islands: there is often no hospital there, and sometimes not even a general practitioner. If these people were no longer allowed to take a ferry, the only connection to the mainland or the next larger island, they would be cut off from the healthcare system. However, the special permit expires on February 10th.

Even the quick coffee at the counter is canceled for the unvaccinated

2G is now also valid in all hotels and bed & breakfasts, which should be of particular interest to visitors from abroad. In Italian restaurants and bars, too, only guests who can show the Super Green Pass are served – recently even outside, on the terraces of the bars. Even the quick coffee at the counter, one of the most important rituals in everyday Italian life, is now denied to the unvaccinated.

Classes started again on Monday, although the opening of the schools had been discussed for a long time. Italy had kept schools closed for much longer than other European countries in the first phase of the pandemic. In order to set an example, however, Draghi’s government wants to keep it open and only allow distance learning in emergencies. It’s not easy. 380,000 pupils and 80,000 teachers are currently in quarantine as those who have tested positive or as contact persons.

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