Green pass and red zones: How Italy’s latest decree changes the Covid rules

On February 5th, Italy's government brought in a new set of rules aimed at loosening Covid restrictions for the fully vaccinated and boosted against Covid-19.

The new measures are also designed to make life easier for tourists entering the country, and to simplify rules around quarantine requirements in schools.

Here's what changes, according to the decree text (read it here, in Italian).

Unlimited 'super green pass' validity for the Covid-boosted

The 'super green pass' vaccine pass, now required to access most services and venues in Italy, as of Saturday has unlimited validity for those who have received their booster shot, or those who have completed their primary vaccination cycle and subsequently recovered from Covid.

"COVID-19 green certifications issued after the third dose are effective without the need for re-vaccination. Those who have undergone the third dose are equivalent to those who have contracted COVID and recovered after completion of the primary vaccination cycle," the government's press release summing up the decree states.

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The announcement comes after Italy slashed the pass's validity from nine to six months on February 1st, causing widespread concern about the impact on those who already had their booster shots almost six months ago.

With no fourth dose available, tens of thousands of people who had a booster almost six months ago in Italy risked losing access to workplaces, public transport and much of public life within the next few weeks as their passes were set to become invalid.

The rule change was also expected to prove problematic for foreign tourists from countries which began administering booster shots earlier than Italy, such as the US, as foreign-issued vaccine certificates are considered equivalent to Italy's 'super green pass'.

The decree text specifies that foreign visitors who have completed their primary vaccination cycle and received a booster shot, or have completed their primary vaccination cycle and subsequently recovered from Covid, will have indefinite access to all those spaces which require a super green pass or its equivalent.

'Basic green pass' health certificate valid for non-boosted visitors and those with vaccines not recognised by Italy

For foreign tourists, Italy only recognises certain vaccines (all EMA-recognised vaccines plus Covishield, R-CoVI and Covid-19 vaccine-recombinant (Fiocruz) as valid.

EXPLAINED: How do Italy’s Covid ‘super green pass’ rules apply to visitors?

This presented problems for would-be visitors that had received vaccines not currently recognised by Italy, and has been addressed in the new decree: those who are fully vaccinated with non-recognised vaccines can now access places such as hotels and restaurants where a vaccination pass was previously required with a 'basic green pass', under which a recent negative test is sufficient.

Visitors who are vaccinated with vaccines that are recognised by Italy, but who completed their primary vaccination cycle more than six months ago and have not received a booster shot can use the same 'basic green pass' obtained via a recent negative test result to access all venues and services in Italy.

Italy's vaccine pass will now have unlimited validity for those who have received a booster shot. Photo: JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP

A negative result from a rapid antigen test taken at a pharmacy will provide a certificate with 48 hours' validity; while a negative result from a PCR test will produce a certificate with 72 hours' validity.

'Zone' restrictions to be scrapped for super green pass holders

As of Saturday, no zone restrictions apply to those in possession of a valid super green pass, the decree states - not even in the highest risk 'red' zones.

Introduced under former prime minister Giuseppe Conte in early November 2020, the four-tiered zone system divides Italy’s 21 regions and autonomous provinces by colour: from white (lowest risk), to yellow, orange, and red (highest risk).

READ ALSO: How do Italy’s Covid-19 rules change in February?

The system, which has been revised multiple times since it was first brought in, was initially used to place tighter restrictions on movement in areas where the risk of contagion and pressure on hospitals was deemed dangerously high.

But its usefulness had been increasingly called into question in recent weeks amid increasing reliance on the use of vaccine passes in Italy and rule changes which mean restrictions in white and yellow zones are now the same, while rules only change in an orange zone for people who are unvaccinated.

Under the new measures, Italy's zone restrictions are effectively over for those who are fully vaccinated and boosted.

For the unvaccinated or those who have not recently recovered from Covid, zonal restrictions will continue to apply.

Schools quarantine rules to be simplified

As schools and regional authorities had complained the current quarantine rules were unworkably arcane, these have been simplified in the new decree.

For kindergartens and nurseries, in-person teaching will continue with up to four positive cases, and will switch to remote learning for five days if there are five or more positive cases.

For primary schools, in-person teaching will continue, with the use of FFP2 masks for teachers and students aged over six, with up to four positive cases.

The entire class will be required to take a Covid test on Day 0 (the day the first positive case is discovered) and Day 5. 

When there are five or more positive cases, students who completed their primary vaccination cycle or have recovered from Covid less than four months ago, or have received a booster shot, will remain in the classroom; all others will switch to remote learning from home for a five day period.

For middle and secondary schools, where there is one positive case among students, in-person teaching will continue with the use of FFP2 masks by all students and teachers.

Where there are two or more positive cases, students who completed their primary vaccination cycle or have recovered from Covid less than four months ago, or have received a booster shot, will remain in the classroom; all others will switch to remote learning from home for a five day period.

In all schools, the FFP2 masks must be worn for ten days from the last positive case.