Italy intends to grant covid-19 passports even to travellers who received only one covid-19 dose
Rome: Italy plans to allow to obtain a health pass for all its citizens travelling, including those who have only have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, making them eligible for quarantine-free travelling.
According to the Ansa news agency, travellers that have received the first shot of any COVID-19 vaccines and are expecting to receive the second dose will be eligible for a “green pass”, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The green pass will be effective from 15 days after the traveller receives the first dose and until they get inoculated with the second, as the legislation signed by President Sergio Mattarella on Tuesday reads.
After the traveller is fully vaccinated, his/her green pass will be updated, stating that the holder has received both shots of the vaccine.
It will take five to six weeks for people vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna to receive both shots and ten to 12 weeks for those vaccinated with AstraZeneca.
The green pass will be valid for fully vaccinated travellers for nine months upon the traveller has received the second dose of vaccine, six months more than it currently is and three months less than it was initially proposed by the authorities.
People who have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be permitted the nine-month pass as soon as they’ve had their shot.
The new regulation will apply to people residing in Italy, who have received their anti-COVID-19 vaccines there, and will now be allowed to obtain the green pass to travel abroad and return to Italy without being quarantined upon arrival.
Italian citizens are eligible to use the green pass for attending wedding receptions and other spectators-like events, starting from June, the government has said.
Italy has also agreed to acknowledge the vaccination as valid when performed in other countries if those vaccines are approved by the EU regulator (currently Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson).
Visitors can benefit from similar terms after receiving their first anti-COVID-19 vaccine, although this information is yet to be confirmed.
The country currently accepts any certificate, paper or digital, that proves that the bearer has either been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, has had COVID-19 and fully recovered, or tested negative for Coronavirus in the past 48 hours.
Starting on May 16, British travellers are required to provide only a negative COVID-19 test result for them to enter Italy quarantine free.
The act followed a similar decision for Israel and Schengen Area travellers, for travellers from where quarantine requirements were also lifted.
On the other hand, the entry in Italy for people travelling from Brazil, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka remains closed due to high rates of COVID-19 infections.
