Dear all,

On 5 August 2021, the Italian Council of Ministers approved legislative decree no. 111 of 6 August 2021, which introduces “Urgent Measures for the safe management of scholastic/university, social and transport activity”.

Following measures already adopted by the Università del Piemonte Orientale, the national legislation (comprehensive of the legislative decree and subsequent MUR circular of 7 August 2021) is designed to protect public health and maintain the necessary safe conditions for face-to-face educational and curricular activity while also protecting individuals within social situations in the university community.

Today, the Co.Re.Co. of Piedmont unanimously approved measures to implement the afore-mentioned Legislative Decree, as reported here below.

From 1 September 2021 until 31 December 2021, all students enrolled on any university course (including Masters’ degrees, post-grad courses, specialisation schools, etc) must hold the so-called green pass certificate, i.e., Covid-19 status certification, to access face-to-face educational and curricular activity (including exams and in itinere tests), as well as for entrance to canteens and study rooms/classrooms.

Throughout the same period, all teaching staff, technical/administrative staff, funded research assistants, PhD students, medical students, post-grad researchers and collaborators, and any staff member of any title/status working regularly within the Università del Piemonte Orientale, must hold and be able to present at any time the COVID-19 vaccination certificate.

The University will carry out the necessary checks on possession of the COVID-19 green pass certification, in full compliance with privacy regulations and according to the regulations which will be soon published, following rules to be issued in a further ministerial decree.

As is common knowledge, this certification is issued following:

a) anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination; at the end of the prescribed cycle (validity nine months) or after the first dose of vaccine (valid from fifteenth day following vaccination until arranged date of completed vaccine cycle, which must be indicated on the certificate when issued); it is automatically supplied in paper or digital form to the individual concerned by the health authorities/institute which carried out the vaccination, with the final certificate issued after the final dose;

b) recovery from COVID-19 and end of isolation period as prescribed due to infection with SARS-CoV-2, in accordance with criteria established in the Ministry of Health circulars (certification validity 6 months); it is issued in paper or digital form on request from the individual concerned at the institute/organisation where the infected patient was admitted or, for non-hospitalised patients, by the family doctor or local health authority department

c) rapid antigen or molecular test with negative result for SARS-CoV-2 virus (validity 48 hours), issued on request from the individual concerned in paper or digital format by the public health authorities, private or authorised health organisations, testing-approved pharmacies, or by family doctors.

 Failure to comply with the above regulations by university staff will be considered unexcused absence and, from the fifth day of absence, employment contracts will be suspended; there will be no salary, compensation or payment due in any form.

Individuals with medical certificates justifying their non-vaccination, in accordance with criteria laid down by Ministry of Health, are exempted from these regulations.                                                                       

The Università del Piemonte Orientale continues its health and safety campaign: we count on everybody’s sense of responsibility and we are convinced that the entire university community will benefit from the comprehensive vaccination drive.

I personally feel safe in the knowledge that our University has implemented all possible measures to keep the virus at bay; with the ‘green pass’ we have a further weapon that will allow us to carry out our activity in serenity and, finally, all together.

I wish you all the best for the face-to-face academic year 2021-2022!

Vercelli, 19 August 2021

Prof. Gian Carlo Avanzi - Rector