Expect Shutdowns in Rome and Beyond

At least one school principal is being lenient, and a few industrialists are also being indulgent with soccer fans, giving permission to their workers to watch Italy’s debut today against Ecuador in the World Cup at 1:30 p.m. local time.

In Rome, the principal of a technical high school is allowing students to leave class at 1 p.m. and watch the game on a large TV screen being set up in a school conference room.

At schools with more strict principals, it’s quite possible that many students won’t show up at all for classes.

Bracco pharmaceutical firm in Milan and sports clothes manufacturer Diadora near Treviso, in northeast Italy, are allowing their workers to take a longer-than-usual lunch to watch the game on screens set up in company cafeterias.