ROME — U.S. actor and director John Malkovich was turned away from a top Venice hotel over a lapsed coronavirus vaccine passport last week, Italian media reported Wednesday.
The Hotel Danieli, which overlooks Venice’s Grand Canal, denied entry to the 68-year-old Hollywood star and he was reportedly forced to stay at a nearby private residence.
According to the most recent decrees from the Italian government, which change on a daily basis, only those who show proof of full vaccination or recovery from the coronavirus can access public spaces like hotels, restaurants, bars and theaters, as well as public transport.
Until recently, one could obtain the coveted “Green Pass” by showing a negative coronavirus test, but in an effort to pressure all citizens into getting vaccinated, that option has been eliminated.
As of January 10, a new “Super Green Pass” is also required on all forms of public transportation — local, regional and national — which includes planes, trains, ships, buses, trams, and subways.
In a curious irony, possession of the Super Green Pass is no longer sufficient for travel within Europe, which now often requires a negative coronavirus test.
(AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)
Commuters also must now wear N95 masks instead of normal surgical masks, and Italian media report that 1,000 police officers will be deployed in Rome to enforce the new regulations.
The Italian government has repeatedly tweaked the period of validity of vaccinations and as of February 1, this period will be cut to six months after the last vaccination dose from the previous nine months.
The Italian government recently announced that coronavirus vaccine will be mandatory for all people over the age of 50, as of February 15, just as Great Britain has lifted its mask requirements and use of vaccine passports.
Malkovich was in Venice for a two-day shoot of the American TV series Ripley, an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novels.
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