Full Vaccination or Recovery among New COVID-19 Rules for Visitors to Vatican Museums

The new restrictions, which came into force in the country this week, ban citizens without a Super Green Pass from entering restaurants, public transportation, gyms, hotels, theaters, and sports events.

The number of visitors to the Vatican Museums fell by 5.6 million from 2019 to 2020 due to nearly five months of closure amid Italy’s COVID-19 lockdowns.

The loss in ticket sales — a major source of revenue for the Holy See — continued into 2021 as the museums were closed on and off for the first half of the year.

The attraction, which is among the most-visited museums in the world and offers access to the Sistine Chapel, presents a detailed guide to admission rules on its website.

All visitors to the museums must undergo a temperature check, wear an FFP2 mask both indoors and outdoors, and maintain a distance of more than three feet from others.

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The Jan. 5 decree applies to everyone working in Vatican City State, the sovereign city-state located within the city of Rome.

The ordinance permits only essential work trips and underlines that governorate staff without a Super Green Pass will be considered unjustifiably absent and their pay suspended. If they remain absent, they will face disciplinary action.

The decree says that exemptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin issued a decree on Dec. 23 stating that people seeking to enter the offices of the Roman Curia must provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or evidence of recovery from it.

The decree extends not only to curial officials, but also to “external collaborators” and all other visitors.

Parolin told the National Catholic Register on Jan. 9 that granting an exemption to Vatican employees concerned about the vaccine’s links to cell lines from aborted fetuses “seems not to be justified.”

Italy, one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic’s first wave, has recorded 7,971,068 COVID-19 cases and 139,872 related deaths as of Jan. 13, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.