Italy will once again expand its list of active COVID restrictions, with the next set of measures slated to come into force on Thursday.
While England is looking at the sudden relaxation of COVID restrictions, Italy is once again set to expand its own rules.
Having made vaccination against the Chinese Coronavirus mandatory for over-50s earlier in the month, Italy will now implement even more restrictions in the hopes of curbing the disease.
According to a report by La Republica, those wishing to attend a barber, hairdresser or beautician will be required to have at least a standard Green Pass from Thursday.
Those wishing to visit someone within one of the country’s prisons will also be required to hold at least a basic COVID cert.
A Super Green Pass — which can only be obtained by those who are vaccinated against the coronavirus or recovered from the disease — however will not yet be required for these amenities, meaning that those who are unvaccinated will be able to access those services, so long as they can provide proof of a negative test for COVID.
The list of shops requiring the normal Green Pass meanwhile will be expanded yet again on February 1, with almost all retail outlets in the country to require the document from that date on according to a report by Il Giornale, bar for essential outlets selling food like supermarkets, as well as pharmacies, and health stores.
Exceptions will also be put in place for opticians, fuel sellers, and shops selling pet products, though a decision on whether newsagents or tobacconists will escape the requirement has yet to be made.
Even before the implementation of further restrictions on Thursday, Italy had been operating under a strict regime of vaccine passes.
The nation’s so-called “Super Green Pass” has become a basic requirement for access to a number of amenities in the country, with the nation’s unjabbed being barred from restaurants and public transport due to restrictions.
Unvaccinated individuals are also banned from a number of workplaces in Italy, with all those working in shops, shopping centres, public offices, Municipalities, Provinces, Regions, commercial services and public services being required to have a Super Green Pass.
Italy’s draconian restrictions are not just affecting Italians however, with famous American actor John Malkovich being refused service in a Venetian hotel over not having the right documents.
According to a report by Il Gazzettino on Wednesday, the actor was refused a stay in the Hotel Danieli due to his Green Pass having expired, forcing the actor to find alternative accommodation in a private house.
While the particular situation of the Hotel Danieli is unknown, hotels in Italy have been struggling due to the nation’s COVID policies, the industry having reportedly suffered “one cancellation per minute” during last year’s holiday period.
“From North to South attendance for New Year’s Eve is laughable” reported one industry insider. “The operators believed that these days would be characterized by local tourism, which books at the last moment: instead everything has stopped.”