The U.S. Navy announced this week that it will indefinitely close the schools and day care centers at military bases in Italy after the country declared a spate of restrictions in response to rising coronavirus case numbers.
Italy declared a national curfew starting this Friday, which runs from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and restricted movement in some of the harder-hit locations like Lombardy, Piedmont, and Calabria.
“Unfortunately, our case numbers of COVID-19, right now, at our installations and in the local surrounding areas are continuing to rise,” Adm. Robert Burke, the top U.S. admiral in Europe as commander of Naval Forces Europe-Africa, said on Wednesday in a video posted to the command’s official Facebook page.
He noted that case numbers in areas surrounding Navy sites have seen positive rates at three or four times the rate in the spring.
“Based on that, and the need to ensure that we’re able to meet the health care needs of anyone who does get ill, I’ve made the decision to close the (Department of Defense Education Activity) schools and the (child development centers),” he said. “We’re going to shift to 100% remote learning.”
Burke added: “This was not a decision that I took lightly and I want you to know that it was a priority to keep the schools open as long as we could and as long as we could do it safely.”
The schools closed on Thursday, with the day care centers to follow on Friday. Remote classes start on November 12.