Italian PM Draghi says reopening of schools is our priority amid COVID-19

Rome: After safeguarding the decision of mandating the vaccination for people of age 50 and over, Italian Prime Minister Maria Draghi emphasized that the main priority of the government of Italy in the COVID-19 pandemic is to keep schools open.

While attending the joint press conference with health and education ministers, PM Draghi asserted that due to the new variant of COVID-19 called Omicron, distant learning could increase in the upcoming weeks. Still, to get proper education, the country has to avoid learning through the distance education. The distance learning could be beneficial but can’t replace the full-time education”.

So far, under the current COVID-19 pandemic protocols, due to the positive results of viral infection that emerged in certain students of education, the distance learning had opted to educate the students and run the schools.

PM Draghi further explained,” It is totally unfair that we remained schools closed and leaving other social activities open. So, currently, we don’t have any particular reason to impose a general closure.

He stressed that since the pandemic has outbreak in Italy, the closure of schools and university have impacted massively on the minds and physical life of young people.

Eduction Minister Patrixio Bianchi also added that around 6 percent of the teaching staff and 4.5 percent of the students have not attended the classes and schools after the reopening of schools due to their positive result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Draghi has made the announcement of the latest package of restriction of COVID-19 came amid the tensions between central and regional authorities on the matter of reopening of schools and universities after the New Year and Christmas holidays.

Italy was among those countries in Europe which have witnessed the controversy due to the mandatory vaccination pass only for specific working categories in the country.

As per the status of vaccination, over 86 percent of the population aged above 12 were fully immunised, and 59 per cent have also received their booster shot against the viral illness.

Earlier Monday, Italy has reported a total of 101,00 new cases of COVID-19 pandemic.