A painful decision because students from all over Italy have been behind a monitor for practically a year to participate in lessons. In September and January, attempts were made to return to the classroom, but the contagion curve quickly rose in a dangerous way and local administrators found themselves forced to impose distance learning. The last to make this choice was Attilio Fontana, which yesterday signed an order that places Lombardy in the dark orange zone. Among the various restrictions also the closure of all schools of all levels, while nursery schools will remain open. “The English variant also attacks young people in a serious way, schools are potential – and perhaps concrete – outbreaks. Now the virus also infects young people who previously seemed exempt“, explained the governor. Who actually has always supported the importance of holding traditional lectures in the presence:”But we must realize it: schools are really a sensitive point“.
The theme is to play in advance to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus from taking us by surprise. Decisions based on the indications of the experts, who have confirmed that rapid and rigorous choices are needed. It is no coincidence that the ordinance moves along the same lines as the reaction of the indicators committee which underlines the presence of a series of alarming elements on which urgent action should be taken: “And then we found out about this variant Nigerian who would be indifferent to vaccinations. We have no specific news on this but, as I said, the point is not to get caught off guard. Try to stay ahead of the virus“.
“Aid to parents”
The president of the Lombardy Region has taken into account the inevitable controversies for a choice of this kind, but the way forward is that of protecting the health of citizens: “I know it’s unpopular. I know people will be angry with me. But if I have to choose between consensus decisions and those necessary for health, I will always choose those for health“. However, there is one aspect that should not be overlooked, namely the problem of parents not being able to take their children to school. In this sense, the minister Mariastella Gelmini has already allocated 200 million euros to support families for parental leave: “It will take more, but it’s a start. On the other hand, if schools are a hub for the spread of infections, can we ignore it?“.
The ordinance arrived in a hurry a few hours after its entry into force, but Fontana reiterated that starting it on Monday would be too late: the data arrived on Wednesday at 10 pm, then the minimum time to evaluate them and finally to take a official position. “Unfortunately this is a virus that has trends that we cannot be surprised by“, he added. Also because, he is keen to highlight the president of Lombardy in the interview given to Corriere della Sera, this is a factor that is shared with Minister Roberto Speranza: “He too agrees that in a situation like the Italian one, even 24 hours are important“.
