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Italy issues first fines for breaking 'green pass' rules

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Italy issues first fines for breaking 'green pass' rules
A security officer scans visitors' Covid-19 certificates before entering the Ancient Colosseum in central Rome on August 6, 2021, as Italy made the Green Pass, which is an extension of the EU's digital Covid certificate, required from today to enter cinemas, museums and indoor sports venues, or eat indoors at restaurants. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)

One week after Italy's green pass was extended to most public and cultural sites across the country, authorities have started handing out fines to those breaking the rules of its use.

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Milan and Treviso are the first cities to encounter sanctions for breaching the terms of Italy's expanded 'green pass', according to news reports.

The infractions range from not having a green pass where needed to using someone else's health certificate.

Police fined a 20-year-old in Milan because he was using a certificate that was not his own. The man now risks being charged if the document turns out to also be falsified.

A 68-year-old man was also fined in Milan and reported for refusing to show his green pass after sneaking into the open-air cinema 'Arena Milano Est'.

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Managers eventually alerted the police after attempting to stop him.

Meanwhile in Treviso, five customers of a betting hall were found without a green pass and will now have to pay a fine between €400 and €1,000 according to the rules set out by law.

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Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP

The Italian government made its health pass mandatory to enter indoor restaurants, museums, concert venues, gyms, spas, theme parks and many other leisure and cultural sites across the country from August 6th.

The health certificate proves that the holder has either been vaccinated with at least one dose, recovered from Covid-19 within the past six months, or has tested negative in the previous 48 hours.

Q&A: Your questions answered about Italy’s new Covid health pass

However, the move to show your coronavirus status has sparked protests across Italy, with demonstrators calling for the pass to be abolished claiming it's a threat to freedom.

It has also seen fake green passes being sold online for hundreds of euros to avoid needing to be vaccinated, tested, or show proof of having recovered from Covid-19.

Police broke up online networks and shut down social media sites used to distribute the false health certificates.

Since the green pass expanded to include most venues across Italy, businesses have struggled to enforce the new rules with tourists being turned away amid confusion of how it should be used.

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There have also been technical difficulties with the government's VerificaC19 app, which businesses use to scan QR codes, including those generated by other countries' health certificates.

READ ALSO: What can you still do in Italy without a Covid-19 ‘green pass’?

However, a fix is reportedly due shortly with some British tourists already saying it now works with their NHS app.

As Italy's bank holiday (Ferragosto) approaches, the Ministry of the Interior has indicated controls will be stepped up to enforce anti-Covid rules, according to Italian media reports.

Holiday resorts, beaches and the streets are of particular focus this weekend, as nightclubs have remained closed and gatherings are expected in more public spaces.

Authorities are set to pay particular attention to the current coronavirus restrictions, such as the obligation to wear a mask indoors - and the verification of the green pass.

 

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