Schools in Italy will reopen on Monday after six months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, in a key test for the fragile ruling coalition led by premier Giuseppe Conte ahead of regional elections later this month.
13,000 TEACHERS AND STAFF IN SCHOOLS HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FOR THE VIRUS
In a brief televised message to students, teachers and parents on Sunday, Conte tried to address concerns over a possible jump in coronavirus infections with the restart of school activities, as divisions persist among regions over safety measures put in place by the government.
“There will be difficulties and hardship, especially in the beginning,” Conte said, praising students, families and teachers for their “extraordinary” efforts since the March closure, while pledging to be on their side in the coming months.
“Italian schools suffer from long-time structural weaknesses, which have been aggravated by the pandemic,” he stressed.
Regional governors and school managers have loudly complained for delays in the distribution of millions of masks and new desks – needed to comply with the anti-virus rules — openly criticizing the government’s decision to reopen all schools in mid-September.
Around 13,000 teachers and staff in schools have tested positive for the virus, just days before the schools’ reopening. People tested represent about half of the country’s 970,000 school staff.