Italian parents and children protest against the closure of the COVID school

ROME (Reuters) – Thousands of Italian parents, children and teachers protested in squares across the country on Sunday against what they call unnecessary school closures to try to contain COVID-19 infections.

The protests, the first of any importance against Mario Draghi’s national unity government that took office last month, were held in more than 35 squares across the country, including Rome’s Piazza del Popolo and Milan’s central Piazza Duomo .

Protesters in Rome wore donkey caps to indicate the impact of closures on student education, while in Milan students’ messages and posters were supported in their school bags placed on the floor.

Numbers at each location were limited due to coronavirus restrictions at meetings.

“Open schools, whatever the cost,” said a poster erected by a child in Rome, in reference to Draghi’s famous promise to save the euro when he was head of the European Central Bank in 2012.

Most Italian schools for all ages have been closed since March 15, when Draghi stepped up efforts to control the virus, with students taking classes online at home.

“We are asking for one thing: that our schools receive the status of essential public services and reopen immediately,” the Roman branch of the national network “Open Schools” that organized the demonstrations said in a statement.

Since the outbreak in Italy began 13 months ago, schools have been closed and reopened at various times, depending on age groups and local levels of infection, but overall there have been fewer face-to-face classes than in most other European countries.

The latest closings have been the last straw for millions of parents forced to work from home or pay for childcare.

The government says closures are necessary due to rising infection rates and, in particular, the increased prevalence of the variant discovered for the first time in the UK, where contagion is high among younger age groups.

Draghi promised on Friday that schools would be the first thing to reopen when current COVID restrictions were eased.