Italy extends its COVID green pass to workplaces

Italy on Thursday made its anti-COVID 'green pass' obligatory for all employees, in a bid to boost vaccine rates ahead of the winter flu season. The law, which will penalise workers who are unvaccinated or do not have proof of a recent negative coronavirus test, is set to come into effect on October 15. "We're extending the 'green pass' obligation to the entire world of work, both public and private," Health Minister Roberto Speranza told a press conference after the government took the decision. "And we're doing it for two basic reasons: to make these places safer and make our vaccination campaign stronger," Speranza said. The pass is a certificate that shows whether someone has been vaccinated against COVID-19,  tested negative in the previous 48 hours, or recently recovered from the virus. It is currently mandatory for indoor dining in restaurants, cinemas and sports stadiums, intercity trains and buses or domestic flights, and for teachers. Just over 40 million people are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in Italy, roughly equivalent to 75 per cent of the population over the age of 12. And the government hopes to boost that figure by another four million. Unvaccinated...