Italian doctors and nurses suspended over their refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19 can now return to work, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Monday.
Italy become the first country in Europe to make it obligatory for healthcare workers to be vaccinated, ruling in 2021 that they must have the jab or be transferred to other roles or suspended without pay.
That obligation had been set to expire in December, but was brought forward to Tuesday due to "a shortage of medical and health personnel", Health Minister Orazio Schillaci said.
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Italy was the first European country to be hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, and has since registered nearly 180,000 deaths.
But data showed the impact on hospitals by the virus "is now limited", Mr Schillaci said.
Ms Meloni said the move, which has been criticised by the centre-left as a win for anti-vax doctors, would see 4,000 healthcare workers return to work.
Health staff must continue to wear masks.
Her government, the most far-right since World War II, was sworn in just over a week ago.
Wotchermuggle on November 1st, 2022 at 01:03 UTC »
I’ll never forget the news coming out of Italy at the beginning.
KartRacerBear on October 31st, 2022 at 22:03 UTC »
Just as a reminder to people who have forgotten, Italy was one of the few countries right at the start of the pandemic that got ABSOLUTELY fucking ravaged by COVID. The fact that there were so many anti-Vax and anti-mask healthcare workers after what happened there is astounding.
Edit: changed to ravaged cause I'm an absolute moron :3
TheGrayBox on October 31st, 2022 at 21:13 UTC »
I see from the comments that humanity has not decided to give up stupidity yet.