Feature: Italy re-opening schools, parents "hopeful" and "a little nervous"

ROME, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Italian schools are preparing to open in stages over the next two weeks despite a surge in the country's coronavirus infection rate. Key observers, including parents, say they remain "hopeful" despite the risks.

This month, schools in Italy will re-open for the first time since they were ordered closed as part of the country's national coronavirus lockdown in March. The first of the re-openings -- mostly private schools -- will take place on Thursday, with the majority of public schools opening their doors on either Sept. 7 or Sept. 14.