Jun 27, 2020 - World

Schools in Italy scheduled to reopen on Sept. 14

Two teenage girls wear face masks outside of two wooden doors, with a masked man standing behind them

Students wearing face masks wait to enter their High School Graduation Exams outside the Liceo Classico Massimo D'Azeglio on June 17 in Turin, Italy. Photo: Stefano Guidi/Getty Images

Schools across Italy are scheduled to reopen starting September 14, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Education Minister Lucia Azzolina announced on Friday.

Why it matters: Parents in Italy started returning to work in early May, per the New York Times, as the country gradually reopened after weathering one of the worst early coronavirus outbreaks in the world.

  • Some families and working parents struggled with childcare in the time between businesses and schools reopening, per the Times.

Details: Social distancing in classrooms should be enforced as schools reopen, with staggered morning arrivals and meals served in class instead of cafeterias, the government announced, per CNN.

Where it stands: COVID-19 infections and fatalities have remained low in Italy throughout June after a steady decrease in May, per data from the World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins. The country reported 255 new cases and 30 new deaths on Friday, per WHO.

Go deeper: Spain and Italy try reopening their economies amid the coronavirus

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