Move comes amid rise in Italy's covid-19 infection rate.

The Italian government has updated the covid Green Pass rules for public transport, including taxis, in a new decree signed on Monday by Italy's ministers for health and transport.

The new rules state that Green Passes for long-distance and inter-regional train journeys should be checked before passengers get on board trains in the larger hubs such as Milan Centrale, Rome Termini and Florence S. Maria Novella, and "where possible also in other stations".

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In the event that a passenger on board a train is found to have "symptoms attributable to covid-19", health authorities and railway police may stop the train to "proceed with emergency interventions" before sanitising the train concerned and putting it back into operation.

The Green Pass - a certificate proving the holder has been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from covid-19 - is not required on local public transport networks such as city buses, trams and subways.

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Taxis and NCC chauffeur-driven services are also affected by the order, with only two passengers allowed to sit in the rear seats of the vehicle "if they are not members of the same family unit."

For full details of the new rules (in Italian), see Italy's transport ministry website.

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