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Everything that changes in Italy in September 2020

The Local Italy
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Everything that changes in Italy in September 2020
Parma's Piazza Garibaldi and the Palazzo del Governatore. File photo: AFP

As September starts the weather is cooling and long summer holidays are coming to an end. Here's a look at what we can expect this month in Italy.

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Schools reopen

Italy's teachers start returning to work from September 1st, and some eight million youngsters are due back in class over the coming weeks after a six-month absence.
 
 
School staff are preparing for the arrival of students, and catch-up lessons for some pupils also began this week - though many of these are held online.
 
Most regions' schools will go back on September 14th, while the Bolzano region restarts classes on the 7th.
 
But several regions including Puglia, Calabria and Abruzzo have postponed reopening until September 24th, and others are reportedly considering doing the same.
The coronavirus rules are up for review

Ministers are set to review Italy's coronavirus rules and restrictions on September 7th.

The current set of rules on travel, face masks and social distancing came into force on August 10th and authorities are set to decide whether these measures need to change, or will be extended.

There have been no official statements as yet about possible changes, although precautionary measures seem unlikely to be relaxed as the number of new cases being detected continues to rise, and the government has stressed that keeping numbers low enough to allow the safe reopening of schools is its "top priority" this month.
 

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Parliament restarts

Italy's Senate and lower house shut down on August 7th and 8th, reopening on September 1st with a very long to-do list. Not only is the current Covid-19 emergency decree up for review (see above) but a raft of other bills await scrutiny and voting during the coming month.

Among the most discussed bills are proposed cuts to the number of MPs in parliament, as well as changes to immigration laws, and tougher punishments for discrimination and hate crimes against women and LGBT+ people.

 Italy's Senate in Rome on July 30th, 2020. Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP

Currently, Italian judges can issue penalties for hate crimes for racial, ethnic and religious reasons. Under the proposed new law, sentencing for gender-based violence would be toughened, and discrimination against gay and transgender people could carry up to four years' imprisonment.

A revision of Italy's controversial security decree is also in the works. Italy's interior minister, Luciana Lamorgese, is reviewing the "anti.immigration" decree introduced by former interior minister Matteo Salvini in 2018, and reportedly aims to revoke existing laws allowing the captains of migrant rescue ships to be arrested and fined up to one million euros for docking at an italian port.
 
The review is also expected to restore some humanitarian assistance for asylum seekers removed by the 2018 decree.
 
Local and regional elections
 
Polls postponed since March will go ahead on September 20-21 for regional authorities in Veneto, Campania, Tuscany, Liguria, Marche, Puglia and Valle d'Aosta.
 
Some 18 provincial capitals will also go to the polls this month: Agrigento, Andria, Aosta, Arezzo, Bolzano, Chieti, Crotone, Enna, Fermo, Lecco, Macerata, Mantua, Matera, Nuoro, Reggio Calabria, Trani, Trento and Venice. 
 
Municipal elections will meanwhile take place in 1,149 comuni across Italy.

Hunting season begins

Italy's hunting season kicks off on the first Sunday in September, which means that anyone living in rural areas would do well to watch out for people with guns.

READ ALSO: How likely are you to get shot in the Italian countryside during hunting season?

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