Italian workers in both the public and private sectors must display a health pass to access their workplaces from Oct. 15 under a decree adopted Thursday by Premier Mario Draghi’s broad-based coalition government. The measures are the first by a major European economy requiring proof of vaccination, a recent negative virus test or recovery from COVID in the previous six months for all categories of workers.

“The Green Pass is an instrument of freedom, that will help us make workplaces safer,″ Health Minister Roberto Speranza told a press conference. ”The second reason is to reinforce our vaccine campaign.” Slovenia and Greece adopted similar measures this week. But Italy’s 2-trillion-euro ($2.35 trillion) economy, the third largest in the European Union, is a far larger target, and the measure underscores the government’s determination to avoid another lockdown even as the numbers of new virus infections creeps up, mostly among the unvaccinated.