On March 17th, the Council of Ministers, upon proposal of President Mario Draghi, Minister of Health Roberto Speranza, Minister of Defense Lorenzo Guerini and Minister of Education Patrizio Bianchi, approved a decree-law containing “Urgent measures for overcoming the measures to combat the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic as a consequence of the cessation of the state of emergency“.

The state of emergency from Covid-19 ceases on March 31st and therefore, over the next three months, the main restrictive measures adopted to contain the pandemic will be progressively abandoned. The new decree-law provides, in fact, a revision of the rules relating to vaccination obligations for access to workplaces and the overcoming of the restriction mechanism linked to the evolution of regional color classifications.

Pending publication in the Official Gazette of the decree, the fundamental dates that will mark the path for the return to ordinary conditions are summarized below.

• April 1st

One of the novelties consists in the cessation of the obligation of Super Green Pass for access to workplaces for those over 50, for whom from April 1st the reinforced Green Pass will no longer be required, but only the basic version.

Furthermore, capacity for events is restored to 100% and the basic Green Pass will be sufficient to access them.

With regard to the regulation of isolation and quarantines, the prohibition of mobility from one’s home or residence is provided for persons who tested positive for Covid-19, until confirmation of recovery.

Quarantines are instead eliminated, even for the unvaccinated, for those who have had close contact with subjects confirmed positive for Covid-19: such subjects are subject to the self-surveillance regime, consisting of the obligation to wear an FFP2 mask, indoors or in the presence of gatherings, in the ten days following close contact and to perform a rapid antigen or molecular test at the first appearance of symptoms and, if still symptomatic, on the fifth day following the date of last contact.

• May 1st

The Council of Ministers has established that from the month of May both Green Pass and masks indoors will be abandoned (and therefore also on local public transport, in public offices, in shops, in banks, at post offices and in schools).

Until April 30th, the Super Green Pass will still be necessary to access indoor catering services, swimming pools, gyms and wellness centers and, until that date, the use of masks indoors will be mandatory.

• June 15th

In mid-June, the vaccination obligation will lapse for school personnel, personnel in the defense, security and public rescue sector, local police, prison administration and in general for workers within adult and juvenile penal institutions, as well as for personnel of the National Cyber Security Agency.

Until June 15th, the vaccination obligation will also remain for personnel of universities, institutions of higher artistic and musical education and technical higher institutes.

With reference to the aforementioned categories, publication of the decree in the Official Gazette and explanatory circulars are awaited to have certainty on the timing and manner of return to work for suspended personnel.

Finally, until that date, vaccination will remain mandatory for those over 50, with the application, in case of non-compliance with such obligation, of a fine of 100 euros by the Revenue Agency.

• June 30th

Despite the conclusion of the state of emergency, the current regime is not modified with regard to “smart working”. Until June 30th, it will in fact be possible to resort to the so-called “agile work” in the private sector without the individual agreement between employer and employee. The duration of the so-called “simplified regime” is thus extended and the deadline for carrying out work activities in agile mode for fragile workers is also set for June 30th.

• December 31st

Until the end of the year, the vaccination obligation remains in force for healthcare personnel and for those in nursing homes.

The obligation of Super Green Pass for visits to persons hospitalized within hospitals and socio-healthcare residences also remains firm.

The decree-law also provides that the emergency powers of the Head of Civil Protection cease, to whom, however, powers are attributed for the management of the return to normality.

A special unit is then established for the completion of the vaccination campaign and for the adoption of further measures to combat the pandemic, which must coordinate with the Ministry of Health.

Finally, as of January 1st, 2023, the Ministry of Health will assume the functions of the Extraordinary Commissioner for the implementation and coordination of measures to contain and combat the epidemiological emergency.