The epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and rapidly spread across the world. In order to counter this epidemic, several countries put in place different restrictive measures, such as the school's closure and a total lockdown. However, as the knowledge on the disease progresses, clinical evidence showed that children mainly have asymptomatic or mild disease and it has been suggested that they are also less likely to spread the virus. Moreover, the lockdown and the school closure could have negative consequences on children, affecting their social life, their education and their mental health. As many countries have already entered or are planning a phase of gradual lifting of the containment measures of social distancing, it seems plausible that the re-opening of nursery schools and primary schools could be considered a policy to be implemented at an early stage of recovery efforts, putting in place measures to do it safely, such as the maintenance of social distance, the reorganisation of classes into smaller groups, the provision of adequate sanitization of spaces, furniture and toys, the prompt identification of cases in the school environment and their tracing. Therefore, policy makers have the task of balancing pros and cons of the school re-opening strategy, taking into account psychological, educational and social consequences for children and their families. Another issue to be considered is represented by socio-economic disparities and inequalities which could be amplified by school's closure.

Fantini M.P., Reno C., Biserni G.B., Savoia E., Lanari M. (2020). COVID-19 and the re-opening of schools: A policy maker's dilemma. THE ITALIAN JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS, 46(1), 79-81 [10.1186/s13052-020-00844-1].

COVID-19 and the re-opening of schools: A policy maker's dilemma

Fantini M. P.;Reno C.
;
Biserni G. B.;Lanari M.
Ultimo
2020

Abstract

The epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and rapidly spread across the world. In order to counter this epidemic, several countries put in place different restrictive measures, such as the school's closure and a total lockdown. However, as the knowledge on the disease progresses, clinical evidence showed that children mainly have asymptomatic or mild disease and it has been suggested that they are also less likely to spread the virus. Moreover, the lockdown and the school closure could have negative consequences on children, affecting their social life, their education and their mental health. As many countries have already entered or are planning a phase of gradual lifting of the containment measures of social distancing, it seems plausible that the re-opening of nursery schools and primary schools could be considered a policy to be implemented at an early stage of recovery efforts, putting in place measures to do it safely, such as the maintenance of social distance, the reorganisation of classes into smaller groups, the provision of adequate sanitization of spaces, furniture and toys, the prompt identification of cases in the school environment and their tracing. Therefore, policy makers have the task of balancing pros and cons of the school re-opening strategy, taking into account psychological, educational and social consequences for children and their families. Another issue to be considered is represented by socio-economic disparities and inequalities which could be amplified by school's closure.
2020
Fantini M.P., Reno C., Biserni G.B., Savoia E., Lanari M. (2020). COVID-19 and the re-opening of schools: A policy maker's dilemma. THE ITALIAN JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS, 46(1), 79-81 [10.1186/s13052-020-00844-1].
Fantini M.P.; Reno C.; Biserni G.B.; Savoia E.; Lanari M.
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
2020 - COVID-19 and the re-opening of schools A policy maker's dilemma.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipo: Versione (PDF) editoriale
Licenza: Licenza per Accesso Aperto. Creative Commons Attribuzione (CCBY)
Dimensione 441.06 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
441.06 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/809458
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 37
  • Scopus 60
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 50
social impact