With the new year comes yet another update of the anti-Covid measures to deal with the fourth wave of the pandemic and the spread of the Omicron variant. The Council of Ministers approved two decrees within a week, one on the 23rd and the other on December 30th.

Here is the calendar of news from January 1st to the end of March, when the state of emergency expires, which has been going on from extension to extension for two years now.

JANUARY 1, CHANGE THE QUARANTINE - Three categories for the quarantine of close contacts of positive people. No quarantine for asymptomatic patients who received the booster dose or completed the primary vaccination course (or recovered) in the previous 4 months. For them only a period of self-monitoring of five days, with communication of any symptoms that have arisen to their doctor. However, these subjects will be obliged to wear the Ffp2 mask for at least ten days.

Those who have been vaccinated for more than 4 months, if asymptomatic and come into close contact with a positive for the virus, will have to do a five-day quarantine. No changes for the unvaccinated, the ten-day quarantine remains for them.

JANUARY 3, OVER HALF ITALY IN YELLOW - Lombardy, Piedmont, Lazio and Sicily are added to the list of regions in the yellow zone, namely Calabria, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Marche, Veneto and the autonomous provinces of Bolzano and Trento. the yellow Regions thus become 11, a progressive increase that indicates how the increase in infections is starting to weigh on the number of hospitalizations and intensive care. The latest decrees have effectively canceled the old differences between the white and yellow areas. But the change in yellow is a prelude to the possible orange zone, which would entail further restrictions for the unvaccinated, such as being unable to leave their municipality of residence.

5 JANUARY, SUPER GREEN PASS AT WORK? - The decree that provides for the obligation of the Super Green pass to all workers, after the vaccination obligation already foreseen for health professionals, law enforcement and teachers, could arrive in the Council of Ministers.

A measure that Draghi wanted in the decree of 30 December but which he had to set aside given the opposition of M5S and Lega.

An alternative to the enhanced certificate for all workers could be the extension of the same to some categories: for example, public employees or those who work in contact with the public.

Even if the obligation were approved on the 5th, it would not go into effect until February.

6 JANUARY, SERIE A RESTART WITH NEW RULES - On the day of the Epiphany, Serie A starts again, with the maximum capacity of the stadiums reduced from 75% to 50%. Even in indoor sports halls the capacity was reduced, from 50% to 35%.

JANUARY 7, BACK TO SCHOOL - In most of Italy people go back to class , even if in some territories the date has been postponed. In kindergarten teachers will have to wear Ffp2 masks, as well as in primary and secondary classes where there are some pupils exempted from the use of masks.

However, the quarantine and dad system for students could also change, following the proposals of the Regions made to the Government. Given the start of the vaccination campaign for the 5-11 age group, also for elementary schools and the sixth grade - as is already the case for high school - the hypothesis is to predict, in the case of two students positive results in a class, only self-surveillance (5 days) for vaccinated children and 10-day quarantine with Dad for unvaccinated. In kindergartens, there would remain a ten-day quarantine for everyone with only one positive case.

10 JANUARY, THE ALMOST LOCKDOWN FOR THE NO VAX - The super green pass is further extended and will be mandatory practically everywhere: to get on trains, buses, metro and all means of transport, to eat and drink even in outdoor places, to enter hotels, spas and wellness centers, carry out sports activities even outdoors, go to fairs and festivals, ski resorts and attend conferences. In short, those who are not vaccinated will only be able to enter shops, supermarkets and pharmacies. A sort of lockdown for no vaxes.

JANUARY 10, BOOSTER AFTER FOUR MONTHS - The times for administering the booster dose of the vaccine are shortened. It will be possible to receive it after 4 months and not 5. Times that are not mandatory, but must then be crossed with those of the Super green pass expiry.

1 FEBRUARY, GREEN PASS DURATION SHORTEN - The enhanced green certificate obtained through vaccination expires six months after the last vaccine was administered. A gradual shortening occurred in the last few weeks, in correspondence with the data on the duration of the vaccine coverage: first in fact the Green pass lasted twelve months, then it went to 9 and from February 1st it reaches 6

FFP2 CALMIERATE UNTIL THE END OF MARCH - The Commissioner for Emergency Francesco Figliuolo will sign a protocol with authorized pharmacies and retailers by the end of January to calm down the price of the Ffp2 masks, which have become mandatory in various areas, until 31 March. What has already been done for the surgeries, which cost 50 cents. The price of the FFP2 should be between 50 cents and the euro.

MARCH 31, EMERGENCY END? - The state of emergency expires at the end of March. At the moment it is not possible to know if it will be renewed.

(Unioneonline / L)

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