Italy becomes a test case for Europe as it requires health pass for all workers

Italy will be implementing the strictest COVID-19 measure as the government approved a law requiring all workers or employees to have a COVID-19 health pass. It could be remembered that at the start of the pandemic Italy became the epicenter with millions of cases and thousands of death recorded.

This time, in order to ensure that the general population is protected, it has mandated all workers to either present proof of vaccination, proof of testing, or proof of recovery from a recent infection.

Should an employee fail to present such a valid health certificate they will be suspended from work with no pay however the employee will not be terminated from employment. Employees who will attend to their work and ignore the new guidelines will be fined with the price ranging from 600-1500 euros or about $706.40 – $1,765.99. Employers who will be caught ignoring the same guidelines and allows workers to report to work without the proper health pass will also be fined ranging from 400-1000 euros or $470.94 – $1,177.34.

This decree by the Italian government will take effect on October 15, 2021, and it is considered to be the first in Europe. According to Italy’s health minister Roberto Speranza, the purposes of mandating the health pass for workers are to make workplaces safer and their vaccination campaign even stronger.