国际英语资讯:Italy confirms downward trend in new infections, facemasks ready for high school exams_时事

国际英语资讯:Italy confirms downward trend in new infections, facemasks ready for high school exams

Emergency officials said that the government is straining to ensure the best safety for pupils and teachers ahead of the high school final exams, due to take place starting from mid-June.

"We are about to send 5.2 million facemasks to the schools, since it is essential that our kids can take their final exams safely," Commissioner for the Coronavirus Emergency Domenico Arcuri told a press conference.

As all schools and universities in the country have remained physically closed for the whole COVID-19 emergency -- with teaching based on distance-learning methods only -- the Education Ministry stated that upper secondary schools students would take their final exams in indoor classrooms.

This will involve some 480,000 students.

"The distribution (of the masks) to the 3,595 institutes across the country, where final exams will take place starting from June 17, has started today," Arcuri specified.

Meanwhile, 1.15 million people have so far downloaded the COVID-19 contact-tracing app Immuni on their mobile phones, according to Arcuri.

The mobile app to trace coronavirus infections was officially launched by national health authorities on Monday.

The app is based on Bluetooth -- with no geo-localization -- to record the mobile phone users' movements, and is being used voluntarily and anonymously.

LIQUIDITY DECREE BECOMES LAW

With a confidence vote on Thursday morning, the Italian senate passed the cabinet's decree that ensures liquidity to companies in distress as a result of the coronavirus emergency.