Concerns about the Omicron strain and a potential surge in infections have prompted Italy to impose stricter restrictions on unvaccinated people.
From Monday, anyone without a Covid Super Green Pass will be unable to participate in many public activities.
The pass verifies that you were vaccinated or recovered from the virus during the previous six months.
Until mid-January, it will be required to enter theatres, cinemas, music venues, sporting events, restaurants, and pubs.
The new measures make the existing Covid green passes, which can be obtained after a negative test, stronger. Green passes will now be necessary to use public transportation and to gain entry to places of employment.
Italy is grappling with a spike in coronavirus infections, which have been rising gradually since mid-October.
There is also concern around Europe about the spread of the Omicron variant, which experts fear may be more transmissible and evade some immunity to Covid.
Italy was ravaged by infections in the early stages of the pandemic and has one of the highest death tolls at more than 134,000.
But the country’s vaccination rate is higher than many of its neighbours. About 73% of the total population have been fully vaccinated and 11% have had booster shots, according to the latest data.
Even so, several Italian cities have imposed rules obliging people to wear facemasks, even in outdoor settings such as crowded shopping streets.
- TB Joshua church holds first church service after 21 weeks of closure
- Passengers left stranded in Accra as drivers’ strike bite hard
Italy introduced green passes in August for access to cultural and social venues before extending them to workplaces in October.
The passes were initially intended to make travel within the EU more efficient, but several countries have widened their use to limit infections and encourage vaccine up-take.
France requires a health pass for access to restaurants, bars, planes and trains, while Austria and Cyprus are among other EU countries to have used similar schemes.
In recent weeks, European countries have placed stricter restrictions on unvaccinated people in response to rising infections as winter approaches.
In mid-November, Austria imposed a lockdown for the unvaccinated.
Germany’s leaders, meanwhile, have agreed to bar unvaccinated people from many public venues, and Greece announced monthly fines of €100 (£85; $113) for anyone over 60 who remains unvaccinated.
