Tightened coronavirus restrictions were taking effect in Italy on Monday, excluding the unvaccinated from many public activities.
From Monday, only those who have been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 are allowed to eat indoors in restaurants, go to the cinema, party at clubs and attend football matches in the stadium.
These rules, adopted by the government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi at the end of last month, were set to remain in place until January 15.
Rules are also being shored up on local public transportation and in hotels. So far, for example, travellers on long-distance trains had to be demonstrably vaccinated against Covid-19, have recovered from the disease or have tested negative for the coronavirus.
From Monday, proof of this is also required for subways, buses and trains in local transport, in the form of the so-called "Green Pass."
The certificate is a digital or printable QR code that can be scanned and checked using a smartphone app.
Children under the age of twelve are exempt from the regulations, as they cannot yet be vaccinated.
According to the government's plans, this should be possible from December 16.
The Italian drug authority had already approved the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech in reduced quantities for children between the ages of five and 11.
From December 15, the expansion of mandatory vaccinations for school staff as well as police officers and soldiers will come into force. This has been the case in the health sector since April.
