The rave decree becomes law thanks to the trick of the "guillotine" which bypassed the long and exhausting parliamentary debate to immediately go to the final vote (183 yes, 116 no).
The protest of the Pd deputies, who waved the Constitution, was blatant in the Chamber . But the dem criticisms also concerned “the wrong no-vax rules” contained in the decree , such as the less stringent rules on unvaccinated health workers, isolation or green passes for visits to health facilities.
The guillotine - or trap or cleaver - is the traumatic, but necessary, expedient to close in time a decree that has created many frictions. Not just those taken for granted between the majority and the opposition. Even in Forza Italia there are those who have criticized the rules on Covid and some bad luck has leaked from the printouts: 13 out of 44 FI deputies did not participate in the vote (4 of them were justified, because on a mission).
THE MEASURES – The provision provides for new measures that concern health professionals . The expiry of the vaccination obligation for them was set for December 31, now it is brought forward to November 1, allowing those who had refused to be vaccinated to return to work. Furthermore, starting from its entry into force and until 30 June 2023, it suspends the 100 euro fines with which people over 50 who have not complied with the vaccination obligation have been sanctioned .
As for the use of the Green pass, it was decided to cancel the obligation to carry out a rapid or molecular test at the first appearance of symptoms and to leave isolation after contracting Covid-19 . After 5 days it will therefore be possible to return to normal activities. Similarly, the duration of the self-monitoring regimen has also been reduced for those who have come into contact with positive people. The term of 10 days has been reduced to 5, always with the obligation to wear the Ffp2 mask in the event of gatherings, and it will no longer even be mandatory to undergo a swab once the self-surveillance period is over.
Also repealed were the measures that allowed access to residential, social welfare, social health and hospice facilities as well as to the inpatient wards of hospital facilities, as visitors or escorts, only to people with a Green pass . The obligation of the green certificate for carers in waiting rooms of emergency departments and first aid was also repealed, as was the obligation to undergo the rapid or molecular antigen test for access to first aid services.
THE ALERT – If the rave decree loosens the restrictions , even if the latest data confirm a further drop in epidemic indicators - from Rt to incidence - and in hospital occupancy, the Ministry of Health raises the alert : the Covid-19 pandemic 19 is "unpredictable" and it is therefore a priority to "prepare", also to face the increase in the demand for assistance due to the simultaneous spread of seasonal flu .
With a circular (“Interventions in place for the management of the circulation of SarsCoV2 in the 2022-23 winter season”) the Regions are alerted and a sort of plan is provided, giving precise indications in the event of a worsening of the epidemiological situation , starting from use of masks indoors, incentives for smart working and reduction of mass events.
MASKS - The use "is effective in reducing the transmission of respiratory viruses and in the event that an evident epidemiological deterioration is documented with serious clinical impact and/or on the functioning of welfare services, their use in closed spaces could be indicated, aimed at in particular to protect people at high risk of serious illness". At the moment in Italy the use of respiratory protective devices is mandatory for workers, users and visitors to healthcare facilities and nursing homes. The circular also invites you to ensure "adequate ventilation in closed environments".
FLEXIBLE WORK AND GATHERINGS - " In the event of a possible significant worsening of the epidemiological picture, the temporary adoption of other measures can be evaluated, such as working from home or limiting the size of events involving gatherings".
SWABS AND SEQUENCING – « Strengthen surveillance systems and increase genomic sequencing to detect new variants of the SarsCoV2 virus. It is strongly recommended, at least in hospitals and emergency rooms, to collect samples to be subjected to molecular testing, to guarantee a minimum number of samples to be genotyped in each Region".
VACCINES - The ministry recommends the anti-Covid vaccination in the 2022-2023 winter season, with the aim of "continuing to put the elderly and frail in safety as a priority, protecting them from serious illness and hospitalization". The administration of the fourth doses with bivalent vaccines is recommended for categories at risk, and an additional booster dose with mRNA vaccine in the bivalent formulation «is currently recommended for the following categories of people who have already received a second booster dose with monovalent mRNA vaccine, once at least 120 days have passed since the same or since the last infection: people aged 80 and over, RSA guests, people aged 60 and over with frailty ».
HOSPITALS - For the winter of 2022-23, it is "essential that the regional health services verify and, if necessary, strengthen the state of preparation in order to deal with a possible increase in the demand for assistance for SarsCoV2 cases": verification of places bed in hospitalization and intensive care; the procurement of devices, drugs, vaccines; the availability of trained healthcare personnel who "can support local departments and services in the event of an increase in cases such as to exceed the current capacity of the healthcare systems".
(Unioneonline/D)