Thousands at protest against green pass in Italy

(9 Oct 2021) Thousands of demonstrators protested Saturday in Rome against the health pass that Italian workers, both the public and private sectors, must display to access their workplaces from October 15 under a government decree. The demonstrators gathered in Piazza del Popolo shouting slogans against the so-called “Green Pass“ and waving Italian flags. The measures are the first by a major European economy requiring proof of vaccination, a recent negative virus test or recovery from COVID-19 in the previous six months for all categories of workers. Slovenia and Greece adopted similar measures this week. But Italy’s 2-trillion-euro ($ trillion) economy, the third largest in the European Union, is a far larger target, and the measure underscores the government’s determination to avoid another lockdown even as the numbers of new virus infections creeps up, mostly among the unvaccinated. Ministers said the measures were aimed at reinforcing Italy’s econo