Taranto, a southern Italian city, has long stood in the shadow of a vast, polluting steel mill.
The pandemic has brought a new and painful irony to Taranto — pitting the coronavirus carried by humans inside with the pollutants often blown in from outside. No representatives of the factory, past or present, would respond to Business Insider's requests for comment. A map showing the location of the steelworks in Taranto, Italy, and three schools within one kilometer of its perimeter.Teachers are in a difficult position. One, who did not wish to be named, said school leaders worry they will be blamed if people get sick while studying.
"The issue is not whether or not windows should be closed or open. The issue is that schools are where they shouldn't be. If you see where schools are on a map, they are four streets from the factory. These kids are exposed to pollution on a daily basis, no matter where the wind blows."Alessandro Marescotti, a Taranto teacher, has been campaigning for change for almost two decades.
Some hope the experience of the coronavirus will encourage national action on Taranto's pollution. "The whole of Italy is Taranto now," said Antonio Marinaro, the Taranto president of industry association Confindustria.
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