This year Italy will have a total of 7.4 million schoolchildren, 3.8 million of whom returned to the classroom on Monday in schools and kindergartens in the regions of Abruzzo, Basilicata, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Lombardy, Piedmont, Umbria and Veneto, as well as in Valle d’Aosta and the autonomous province of Trento.
Schools in Italy’s remaining 10 regions will reopen over the coming days.
“It’s a joy to see classrooms full of young people,” Education Minister Patrizio Bianchi said on Monday.
“Schools must not just reopen; they must also go back to being at the centre of our communities.”
Health measures imposed last year will remain in place, including: staggered entry and exit times, social distancing, face masks for children over the age of six and reduced capacity on school buses.
In addition, teachers, school employees, external staff and parents entering school property are required to carry a “green pass”, showing that they have been vaccinated, tested negative for COVID-19 in the previous 48 hours or recovered from the virus.
The pass, which is not required by schoolchildren, is also mandatory for university staff and students.
Bianchi said 93 per cent of school staff were vaccinated to date.
