Italy considers nationwide closure of schools to limit Covid-19 spread
Italy’s education minister says a final decision on the nationwide closure of schools has not yet been confirmed following reports in the media the measure had been approved to limit the spread of Covid-19.
State-run RAI, the Ansa and LaPresse news agencies reported on Wednesday that Italian premier Giuseppe Conte had agreed on the closure policy during a cabinet meeting.
But the country’s education minister Lucia Azzolina told reporters that nothing is final yet.
Italy has seen its virus caseload explode since the first positive test was registered in northern Lombardy on February 19.
Since then, more than 2,500 people in Italy have tested positive, and 79 have died.
Italy is the epicentre of Europe’s outbreak.
In the early days of the outbreak, officials closed schools in Lombardy and Veneto, the two hardest-hit regions.
Over the weekend, they closed schools in Emilia Romagna.
