Virus has widened gaps between rich and poor - CENSIS

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 4 - The gap between Italy's rich and poor has widened further during the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual report of the CENSIS research agency said on Friday.
    It said that there was a rise of 582,485 (22.8%) in the number of people on benefits between March and September 2020, while 1.46 million people have wealth of over $1 million (around 840,000 euros).
    It said 40 of those people are billionaires, adding that the number of billionaires here and the total quantity of wealth they possess increased during the first wave of the pandemic.
    CENSIS added that 90.2% of the Italian people it surveyed "are convinced the coronavirus emergency and the lockdown damaged the vulnerable more, amplifying existing social inequality".
    The report was critical of the way Italy is run at various levels.
    "System Italy is a square wheel that does not roll," it read.
    "It struggles to move forward, splitting every rotation into four parts with a huge effort for every quarter turn made.
    "The virus hit a society that was already tired".
    The report said the results of the use of distance learning in Italy during the pandemic have been disappointing.
    It reported that almost three-quarters of school principals said distance learning has increased learning gaps between pupils.
    (ANSA).