COVID-19 Health and Safety
Click here to view the complete SIRS COVID Code of Conduct and Safety Guide.
The document includes information on traveling to and from Italy as well as safety protocol that will be strictly enforced onsite during the Congress.
SIRS is committed to the safety and well-being of our attendees. We will closely monitor the situation and follow the appropriate sanitation, safety, and social distancing measures guided by the latest information from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Italian Ministry of Health. More specific safety requirements will be made available as we get closer to the meeting.
Stay Informed: Here are local public health and other community resources to help you stay informed with COVID-19 news:
For everyone's health and safety, please know that the SIRS leadership, 2022 Program Committee and Executive Office are committed to planning a meeting in accordance with the latest Italian Ministry of Health guidelines. These are the requirements set by the Italian government and SIRS will abide by these requirements as a minimum. As SIRS continues to track the rate of COVID-19 transmission and public health guidance, these policies may be updated accordingly.
We are committed to providing a COVID-safe environment for everyone to meet in 2022!
Italian Safety Protocol as of 30 March 2022
Please note the information below is current as of 30 March 2022. SIRS will continue to update this information as changes are made.
ITALY IN GENERAL:
A COVID-19 state of emergency was issued by the Italian government on 29 December 2021. Restriction highlights include:
- Face masks are required outdoors throughout the country, including in white zones, until mid-April (it is confirmed that this requirement will not expire before the SIRS Congress)
- N95 masks (called “FFP2” in Italy), not surgical masks, are required on public transport and long-distance transport such as trains, buses and domestic flights. They are also required in venues such as sporting events, concert halls, cinemas, theatres, and stadiums. Food is not permitted to be consumed in these venues.
- A super green pass (full vaccination with one of the 5 recognized vaccines within past six months, a completed booster, or recovery certificate within past six months) will be required for entrance into museums and cultural venues (including the Congress center), as well as for consuming food or drinks standing at the bar, pools, gyms, wellness centers, thermal complexes and gaming halls, with the exclusion of children under 12.
- Starting February 1, 2022, the green pass will be valid for six months from the time of the most recent vaccination.
- Random Covid checks at borders: the government has ordered random Covid checks via antigen or molecular tests for travelers entering the country at airports, ports, train stations and land borders. If a traveler selected for a random check tests positive, he or she will quarantine for 10 days.
WITHIN THE FIRENZE FIERA CONGRESS CENTER:
- A super green pass or equivalent is required to enter. Attendees must show proof of completing full vaccination with one of the 5 recognized vaccines within past six months, a completed booster, or recovery certificate within past six months).
- Inside the congress center masks are mandatory
- Masks are not required for speakers at the head table as long as they are 2 meters distanced
- Speakers may present at the podium without their mask.
Additional information regarding the Super Green Pass is below.
Traveling to Italy
FROM WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION
Travelers from other European Union States will need to present their Green Pass to enter Italy.
FROM OTHER NATIONS
For entry to Italy from other countries, the Italian Foreign Ministry has created an interactive questionnaire that will tell you what documents and protocols you will need to follow. You can access the questionnaire below.
Consult the lists to find out the provisions that apply to travel from abroad:
Beginning on March 1, 2022 and valid until March 31, 2022, travelers may enter Italy if they are asymptomatic AND present one of the following:
- An Anti-COVID 19 vaccination certificate for an European Medicines Agency (EMA)-recognized vaccine. At present, EMA recognizes the following vaccines: Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, AstraZeneca and Novavax. The date of the last dose of the primary vaccination series must be at least 14 days prior to travel and no more than 270 days before arrival unless a booster shot was administered. Travelers vaccinated in the United States can prove this via the “white card” bearing the CDC logo.
- A medical certificate confirming recovery from COVID valid for six months form recovery.
- A negative molecular PCR test result carried out within 72 hours of arrival or a rapid antigen test result carried out within 48 hours of arrival
- Passengers unable to present a valid vaccination, recovery certificate or negative test result will have to self-isolate on arrival for five days and undergo a molecular PCR or rapid antigen test at the end of the isolation
Green Pass Information
SUPER GREEN PASS
Please note: The “green pass” is an EU document issued by EU countries. If you are resident in an EU country, you can request a green pass. If you were vaccinated outside the EU but are resident in the EU you may request an EU “green pass”. A Super Green Pass must reflect that the vaccination was completed within the last 6 months or that a booster was administered if the vaccine was administered prior to 6 months. Attendees can also show proof of recovery from COVID in the last 6 months.
For travel from other countries, the national equivalent is recognized. Always check with your country’s embassy for entry requirements. For the United States, a CDC-issued vaccination card is recognized.
Characteristics of the vaccination certificate
The certificate can be presented in paper or digital form and must be produced in one of the following languages: Italian, English, French, Spanish or German.
The validity of the certificate is based on the following characteristics:
- it must have been issued by the competent health authority of the traveler's country of origin
- vaccination must have taken place with a vaccine validated by the European Medicines Agency ( EMA ):
- Comirnaty of Pfizer-BioNtech
- Modern
- Vaxzevria
- Jansen (Johnson & Johnson)
- Nuvaxovid (Novavax)
