The report based on the activity carried out by the Covid-school working groups of the Public Hygiene Services of the Piedmont Region is available online.
Safe School is one of the few screening programs conducted in Italy in the school setting, which has seen the voluntary involvement of students in the second and third grades of lower secondary school.
To date, screenings are potentially useful in containing the infection in periods of moderate or high community transmission provided that:
- are offered frequently
- the results are disclosed in a timely manner
- the strategies following the possible identification of positive cases are clearly defined.
The implementation of screening and the timely application of preventive measures to a larger number of classes has an important potential in contrasting the spread of the infection and could help support face-to-face teaching in this age group, particularly during the high viral circulation in the community.
The report describes the results of the program and the implementation problems encountered, providing indications for a possible re-proposal in school year 2021-2022.