7
3
PALERMO, Italy, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Anti-vaccination holdouts in Sicily paid a nurse to give them fake COVID-19 jabs in order to obtain a health certificate that is mandatory for some professions, police said on Tuesday.
Three people, including the nurse and a local leader of the movement known in Italy as 'No-Vax,' have been arrested and face charges of corruption and forgery.
Police used a hidden camera to film the nurse at a major inoculation center emptying the vaccine syringe into a tissue before briefly putting the needle into the arm of the recipient.
Around a dozen health passes were obtained in this fashion, including by a policeman. Local media reported that people paid up to 400 euros ($450) each for the service.
In an effort to curb COVID-19 infections, the government has made vaccinations mandatory for health care workers, teachers, law enforcement officers and the military.
Italy further tightened curbs on people who are still not vaccinated on Dec. 6, limiting their access to an array of places and services, including indoor seating at bars and restaurants, museums, cinemas, clubs and sporting events. read more