Italian anti-vaxxers are paying Ј110 to have dinner and wine with Covid-positive people so that they can catch coronavirus and avoid getting jabbed.
A new vaccine mandate in Italy requires anyone over the age of 50 to be vaccinated from February 1. The unvaccinated risk paying a large fine or losing their jobs.
Under the mandate, the only alternative to getting the vaccine is to recover from Covid-19, due to the body's development of antibodies during an infection.
In Italy, recovery from the infection must be registered on a person's national health card, and people are taking drastic measures to get the exemption.
Soon after the announcement of the mandate, people began offering Covid parties to allow for those infected with the virus to mingle with those that want to catch it, hoping they would go on to recover and obtain the pass.
One such party - uncovered in Tuscany - included a truffle dinner with Barolo wine, along with a Covid-positive person. Attendance cost Ј110.




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Pictured: Restaurants near the Pantheon in Rome, Italy, 10 January 2022. Italy has cracked down increasingly hard on the unvaccinated, requiring proof of vaccination or a recent recovery from COVID-19 to access a host of leisure activities

The government has responded to the omicron-fueled wave of infections by passing new restrictions aimed at encouraging vaccine holdouts to get their jabs or be increasingly shut out of recreational and even essential activities, such as taking a bus or subway to work.
Italians have generally supported the restrictions, which in recent months have also included outdoor mask mandates and a standard health pass to get into workplaces.
The new restriction were enforced Monday by police fanning out at train stations to check passengers' vaccine status and make sure they were wearing the more protective Ffp2 face masks, which were now required on public transport.
'I'm happy that they are controlling everywhere,' said Carola, Pasqualotto, a member of the Imperi sport center where the front desk was checking members' vaccination status. 'I am in favor of mandatory vaccines for all.'
Premier Mario Draghi, though, has faced criticism for his government's decision last week to mandate vaccinations for anyone 50 and older.
Critics say the fine for noncompliance, which starts at 100 euros ($113), is far too low to make defying the requirement hurt. 
But the fines rise significantly - to as high as 1,600 euros (nearly $1,800) -for those in that age group who enter their workplaces starting in mid-February if they still aren't vaccinated.
Meeting with reporters on Monday, Draghi defended the vaccine obligation.




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Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, attends the press conference on the latest anti-Covid measures adopted by the Government, at the Chigi Palace in Rome, Italy, 10 January 2022

'The data tells us that those older than 50 run greater risks, and that intensive care units are occupied by two-thirds of those not vaccinated,' the premier said.
Doctors have also been warning that the flood of COVID-19 patients in recent weeks creates the risk that hospitals will not be able to do regular surgeries or offer proper care to non-COVID-19 patients. 
Italy, where the coronavirus outbreak first erupted in Europe in February 2020, has fully vaccinated 86 percent of its 12-and-over population, and nearly 75 percent of those who are eligible have received a booster.
But two million people out of Italy's population of 60 million are currently positive, impacting essential services. School districts have complained they don't have enough teachers to reopen, since so many are positive or in quarantine.
Two southern regions, Sicily and Campania which includes Naples, defied the government by keeping their schools closed on Monday. But after a parent challenged the closure in court, the schools in Campania were ordered to reopen on Tuesday.
Draghi said he wanted to depart from the previous government's decision to close schools during the first year of the pandemic, calling schools 'fundamental to democracy.'
'We want to be cautious, very cautious, but also to minimize the economic and social effects, but above all on kids, who suffered the most' by the long school closures, Draghi said.
Young people 'in the evening go to pizzerias, they do sports all afternoon,' the premier added. 'It makes no sense to close schools and to not close the rest' of society.
Italian teachers are required to be vaccinated and some 99 percent are, according to Education Minister Patrizio Bianchi.
Italy reported 101,762 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, against 155,659 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of coronavirus-related deaths rose to 227 from 157.
Italy has registered 139,265 deaths linked to the virus since its outbreak emerged in February 2020, and has reported 7.55 million cases to date. 



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