Whether for boosters, the compulsory vaccination for professions or rules in retail – Italy is taking action in the corona pandemic. Nevertheless, a lot remains possible – also for vacationers.
Munich / Rome – The fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic is causing considerable problems for Germany. Two borders further, where (not only) Bavaria likes to spend their vacation, they currently have the corona infection numbers under control: in Italy. And so, although strict Covid rules apply between South Tyrol and Sicily, a lot remains possible.
Apparently precisely because Italy is taking action – and has long been implementing or planning measures that were discussed much later in Germany between the states, the old federal government and the future traffic light coalition in Berlin to contain the pandemic.
Coronavirus: Italy better through the pandemic than others
What is Italy doing well? It presents solutions in advance, creates facts – and so it seems to drive better than other countries. For a long time. The pictures from Bergamo in Lombardy, when columns of army vehicles had to bring many corpses to the cemeteries in the spring of last year, are unforgettable.
Now an average of 125 infected people per 100,000 inhabitants are registered weekly. That is well below the German incidences (500 to 1,500). But what do the state government in Rome and the 20 regions (countries) between Veneto and Calabria do differently from others? A comparison based on corona issues:
Compulsory vaccination due to Corona? Italy is way ahead of Germany
- Compulsory vaccination for individual professions: In Italy, vaccinations for doctors and other medical staff have been mandatory since May 2021. While such a mandatory vaccination is still being legally developed in Germany, all employees in the health sector must, according to a report by Economic courier in Italy in December already for boosting. At the same time, a compulsory vaccination for teachers, lecturers, police officers and the military comes into force.
- 3G app “Greenpass”: You can only get on long-distance trains in Italy with this proof (recovered, vaccinated or tested). Employees have required this digital health passport for their workplaces since October. Everyone has to show the green pass, from the construction worker to the domestic help. Corona tests have to pay for unvaccinated workers themselves – one costs 15 euros. Meanwhile, there is a struggle in Germany as to whether 3G, 2G or 2G + should apply in the workplace. For example, Berlin only introduced a nationwide 2G regulation at the end of November. And in the new Infection Protection Act of the traffic light coalition of Olaf Scholz (SPD) 3G is provided for public transport – but nobody knows how this should be controlled. In Italy, from December 6th, the Greenpass will be mandatory as proof for all citizens, also in public transport, in restaurants, bars, sports facilities and ski areas.
In the video: Corona rules in Italy – all information for vacationers
- Military General as Covid Special Commissioner: The 60-year-old army general Francesco Figliouolo is the so-called Covid special commissioner and drove the vaccination campaign – organized centrally from Rome. The logistics specialist was for the Italian military in Afghanistan and Kosovo, and has created a reliable vaccination infrastructure with the help of the army and civil defense. And: Whenever the man in uniform promised something to the citizens, he could stick to it, as the ARD reports. Not only that: he himself keeps going to check the work in the vaccination centers. These were not abolished as in Germany, but were always in operation. The country is able to “complete the first vaccination cycle in parallel and administer the third dose at the same time,” says Figliouolo. In Germany, too, Carsten Breuer, a Bundeswehr general, is to head the new Corona crisis team in the future. Similarly successful?
Vaccination quota in Italy: Significantly more first vaccinations and faster boosters than in Germany
Corona vaccinations | Italy (of the total population in%) | Germany (of the total population in%) |
at least one dose | 79.2% | 68.5% |
fully vaccinated | 73.9% | 71.3% |
Booster vaccination | 10.0% | 8.06% |
Sources: Our World in Data, impddashboard.de, as of November 30, 2021
- Vaccination quota and booster vaccinations: The risk groups have been “boosted” since September. As of December, it is mandatory for the health staff to give the booster vaccinations. That means: Particularly sensitive areas of society are consistently vaccinated – with success. In particular, the number of first vaccinations in Italy (79.2%) on November 30th was well ahead of the rate in Germany (68.5%). Corona tests have also been subject to a charge since October, which, according to the ARD’s “Tagesschau”, increased the vaccination rate. In Germany, however, the booster vaccinations were initially not sufficiently organized. The family doctors wanted to vaccinate. However, they were slowed down by the acting Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) when he ordered the Moderna vaccine with a shorter shelf life to be inoculated first instead of the popular Biontech vaccine. A mess.
Coronavirus pandemic: strict mask requirement in Italy before the Christmas business
- Strict mask requirement: “We want to give everyone who has been vaccinated a normal Christmas,” said Prime Minister Mario Draghi recently. The cities of his country make advance payments when it comes to mask requirements. That means: Anyone who does their Christmas shopping on the shopping streets in December must wear mouth and nose protection even outdoors. If disregarded, threaten loudly Economic courier for example in Milan severe fines of 400 euros.
The result: While everything in Italy is open without restrictions, even discos and clubs, and the stadiums are full of football fans, a curfew is taking place in Bavaria by comparison. And in December, only ghost games will take place in Bundesliga stadiums across Germany. While Italy is easing the situation for vaccinated people, with strict rules at the same time. (pm)
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