The Italian government's Scientific Technical Committee has on Monday signed off on a list of protocols to be followed in the country's universites as academic life is set to restart from mid-September, Italian newspaper La Repubblica reports.
All schools and universities in the country were forced to shut down on March 15th due to the coronavirus crisis, but though new cases have recently risen again the government insists safety measures will allow reopening in September.
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University students can expect to wear masks whenever on campus, and to attend some classes remotely.
Here's a closer look at the rules being put in place for universities (we also have details on school reopenings and the measures being put in place for kindergartens in separate articles).
Socially-distanced lectures
Under the new protocols, students will need to be seated at least one metre apart during lectures. To ensure this, lecture halls where seating cannot be moved can only be filled to 50 percent of their usual capacity.
Crowding must be avoided as people enter and exit the room, for example by using separate entrances and exits or setting up “dedicated pathways”, the committee wrote.
Universities must also be able to guarantee that the rooms will be adequately ventilated, cleaned daily, and equipped with hand sanitiser.
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