As Italy prepares to end its Wuhan coronavirus state of emergency at the end of the month, Undersecretary of Health Andrea Costa stated the government aims to end all health pass measures by the end of May.
On March 31st the Italian government will allow the state of emergency, which has been in place since January 2020, to expire and the following day will begin to lift some coronavirus restrictions.
On April 1st, it is expected the Super Green Pass, a stricter version of the Green Pass which is only available to fully vaccinated and those who have recovered from the coronavirus, will be ended for indoor dining, bars, public transport and other locations, and the health pass will be ended completely for other venues, such as museums, hotels and shops, Il Giornale reports.
Undersecretary of Health, Andrea Costa commented on the end of the health passes completely saying, “I think it is reasonable to think that in May or at the end of May in our country the green pass may not be required: this is the goal of the government.”
The Green Pass may be scrapped in restaurants, bars and other venues as early as May 1st but no concrete date has yet been set by the government, according to Il Giornale. The Green Pass will likely still be required for public transport and for entering hospitals and other workplaces after May 1st, however.
Italians over the age of 50 are required to be vaccinated and face fines for being unvaccinated, with an estimated 600,000 residents facing a 100 euro (£84/$110) fine. However, it is expected that the obligation to be vaccinated will expire on June 15th and those over 50 may be allowed in May to work without needing to be vaccinated by producing a negative coronavirus test.
While Italy appears to be relaxing its coronavirus restrictions, Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced last week that incoming Ukrainian refugees would have to either be vaccinated against the virus or undergo tests every 48 hours as tens of thousands of refugees enter the country.