People line up outside a pharmacy for Covid-19 swab tests in Milan. AP.
People line up outside a pharmacy for Covid-19 swab tests in Milan. AP.
People line up outside a pharmacy for Covid-19 swab tests in Milan. AP.
People line up outside a pharmacy for Covid-19 swab tests in Milan. AP.

Italy tightens rules for unvaccinated amid Omicron spread


Neil Murphy
  • English
  • Arabic

Italy will impose new restrictions against unvaccinated people to stop the spread of the new Omicron coronavirus variant that has pushed infections to the country’s highest one-day total.

Under the new rules, people who have not been vaccinated will be barred from entering museums, exhibitions, amusement parks, bingo parlours and betting halls – places that until now they could access with a negative test result.

Already barred from seating in restaurants, their dining options have now been completely shut down as they can no longer be served standing at a bar.

“It is important that we present a series of measures to respond to the growth of cases that we see in the last days, due to the arrival in our country in a significant way of the Omicron variant,” Health Minister Roberto Speranza said.

Italians are preparing to celebrate the Christmas holiday weekend, with many planning family gatherings that were barred last year during the surge of the Delta variant.

The government has not ordered any rules for private gatherings, but it has set its sights on New Year’s Eve, banning outdoor events and closing discos until the end of January.

The new regulations will be gradually implemented, starting on Friday.

Long lines formed at testing sites in Milan on Thursday, as people worried about suspected cases sought to be tested alongside those who continue to be tested every 48 hours to have access to workplaces.

And in neighbouring Veneto, some testing sites for PCR swabs posted notices that they had exhausted their available appointments for the next 60 days.

Coronavirus in Europe - in pictures

  • A health centre employee performs a coronavirus test in the Kurfuerstendamm shopping street in Berlin, Germany. AP Photo
    A health centre employee performs a coronavirus test in the Kurfuerstendamm shopping street in Berlin, Germany. AP Photo
  • People present their vaccination status as they queue in front of the famous department store 'KaDeWe' in Berlin. AP Photo
    People present their vaccination status as they queue in front of the famous department store 'KaDeWe' in Berlin. AP Photo
  • A coffin which contains a person who died with the coronavirus, and is labelled "Covid-19", in a crematorium's cold room in Meissen, Germany. AP Photo
    A coffin which contains a person who died with the coronavirus, and is labelled "Covid-19", in a crematorium's cold room in Meissen, Germany. AP Photo
  • A quiet retail precinct during the introduction of lockdown measures in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Bloomberg
    A quiet retail precinct during the introduction of lockdown measures in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Bloomberg
  • A vast Covid-19 vaccination centre set up inside the France's national Velodrome near Paris. EPA
    A vast Covid-19 vaccination centre set up inside the France's national Velodrome near Paris. EPA
  • A medical technician administers nasal swabs at a mobile testing site in Paris. AP Photo
    A medical technician administers nasal swabs at a mobile testing site in Paris. AP Photo
  • Children are vaccinated at a centre in Selestat, eastern France. AP Photo
    Children are vaccinated at a centre in Selestat, eastern France. AP Photo
  • People queue up outside a pharmacy to have swab tests in Turin, Italy. EPA
    People queue up outside a pharmacy to have swab tests in Turin, Italy. EPA
  • A crowd wearing face masks in downtown Madrid, Spain. AP Photo
    A crowd wearing face masks in downtown Madrid, Spain. AP Photo
  • Nurses take care of a Covid-19 patient at the Basurto Hospital in Bilbao, Spain. EPA
    Nurses take care of a Covid-19 patient at the Basurto Hospital in Bilbao, Spain. EPA

In the past 24 hours, Italy recorded nearly 44,600 new infections, its highest ever, and 168 deaths.

The Omicron variant of the coronavirus represents nearly one third of the new cases.

The head of Italy’s national health institute, Silvio Brusaferro, said that Omicron would be dominant by next week, with “slow but continuous growth”.

Italy was the first major economy to adopt a health pass to give access to workplaces, but has allowed a negative test every 48 hours instead of full vaccination or proof of recovery from Covid-19.

Mask mandates have remained in place in public indoor settings and public transport.

Now that has been upgraded and only more-protective FFP2 masks may be worn on all public transport, and in cinemas, theatres and stadiums.

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Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
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Napoli v Feyenoord
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Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
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Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
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Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

Venom

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed

Rating: 1.5/5

Disability on screen

Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues

24: Legacy — PTSD;

Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound

Taken and This Is Us — cancer

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Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg

Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety

Switched at Birth — deafness

One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy

Dragons — double amputee

Turkish Ladies

Various artists, Sony Music Turkey 

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2) Take it to the US Embassy

3) Deadline is October 15

4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll

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If you go

The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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  5. Jaunpur, India
  6. Faisalabad, Pakistan
  7. Noida, India
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Profile of Tarabut Gateway

Founder: Abdulla Almoayed

Based: UAE

Founded: 2017

Number of employees: 35

Sector: FinTech

Raised: $13 million

Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.

Updated: December 24, 2021, 1:45 AM