Hundreds of port workers in Italy are striking against a new vaccine mandate

Italy’s new covid-19 rules went into effect on Oct. 15, prompting labor strikes and protests across the country. The mandate, one of the strictest in the world, requires employees in the public and private sectors to show proof of vaccination, a negative test, or recovery from the virus in order to go to work. Those who don’t comply may be fined up to €1,500, or $1,760.

The measure, which was approved by prime minister Mario Draghi’s government on Sept. 16, aims to boost vaccinations among a population that has been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Italy’s Lombardy province suffered the worst outbreak in Europe last March, and the country has the second-highest death toll in the continent after the UK.

Since the measure was announced, the country’s vaccination rate has risen by 4 percentage points, according to Our World in Data, with 70% of Italian adults now fully vaccinated. Recent polling by the country’s Catholic University found that 56% of Italians support the so-called “Green Pass.” But while most citizens have gotten on board with it, some workers remain skeptical.