Italy exits covid state of emergency after two years

Rome: Italy’s covid state of emergency expires on Thursday, more than two years after it was introduced on 31 January 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The emergency legislation, which was extended several times, has granted authorities sweeping powers to tackle covid-19, cutting through red tape to implement, modify or revoke urgent measures.

Thursday is also the last day in which General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo will serve as Italy’s emergency coronavirus commissioner, a role he has held for the last year.

Figliuolo, a logistics expert, has overseen the country’s successful covid vaccination campaign which has seen almost 90 per cent of people in Italy aged 12 or older complete the vaccination cycle.

The government’s structure of coronavirus advisors, including the technical scientific committee (CTS), will also be dismantled after 31 March, along with the colour-coded covid risk system for Italian regions.

The departure from the state of emergency signals the gradual phasing out of Italy’s covid restrictions, including the Green Pass, beginning from 1 April.