Italy: Schools reopen with new covid Green Pass rules

Rome: Almost four million children in 10 regions of Italy will return to school on Monday 13 September, with new covid Green Pass rules in place for teachers and parents.

This year Italy will have a total of 7.4 million schoolchildren, 3.8 million of whom are back to the classroom today in schools and kindergartens in the regions of Abruzzo, Basilicata, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Lombardia, Piemonte, Umbria and Veneto, as well as in Valle d’Aosta and the province of Trento.

As the new academic year begins, Italy retains its anti-covid rules from last year: staggered entry and exit times, social distancing, masks for children over the age of six, and reduced capacity on school buses.

The main difference this year is that teachers, school employees, external staff and parents entering school property are required to carry the Green Pass – a digital or paper certificate showing that people have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from covid-19.

The pass, which is not required by schoolchildren, is also mandatory for university staff and students.

The Green Pass obligation for parents has been criticised by the president of the national association of school principals, Antonello Gianelli, who said that checking for passes could lead to queues and crowds.