How Schools Affected the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: Data Analysis for Lombardy Region, Campania Region, and Emilia Region

Davide Tosi and Alessandro Siro Campi
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Davide Tosi: Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences (DiSTA), University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy
Alessandro Siro Campi: Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (DEIB), Politecnico Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy

Future Internet, 2021, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-12

Abstract: Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the main discussed topic worldwide in 2020 and at the beginning of the Italian epidemic, scientists tried to understand the virus diffusion and the epidemic curve of positive cases with controversial findings and numbers. Objectives: In this paper, a data analytics study on the diffusion of COVID-19 in Lombardy Region and Campania Region is developed in order to identify the driver that sparked the second wave in Italy. Methods: Starting from all the available official data collected about the diffusion of COVID-19, we analyzed Google mobility data, school data and infection data for two big regions in Italy: Lombardy Region and Campania Region, which adopted two different approaches in opening and closing schools. To reinforce our findings, we also extended the analysis to the Emilia Romagna Region. Results: The paper shows how different policies adopted in school opening/closing may have had an impact on the COVID-19 spread, while other factors related to citizen mobility did not affect the second Italian wave. Conclusions: The paper shows that a clear correlation exists between the school contagion and the subsequent temporal overall contagion in a geographical area. Moreover, it is clear that highly populated provinces have the greatest spread of the virus.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; data analytics; schools’ impact; Google mobility impact (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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