Covid-19 positive students spend festive season at school

TWENTY Minda High School students in Matobo spent part of the festive season in isolation at the school after they tested positive for Covid-19, Sunday Southern Eye reported.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) Matabeleland South coordinator Urgent Moyo confirmed receiving a report that the 20 students had tested positive before schools closed for the third term on December 18.

However, Moyo said the students had since been reunited with their families after recovering and testing negative four days after schools closed.

"I am told that 100 students were tested for Covid19 and 20 tested positive. They remained at the school and I understand they were released around December 22 after they recovered," he said.

"No testing, no opening of schools. World Health Organisation guidelines should be followed. We urge government to take lives of teachers and pupils seriously by testing teachers and pupils before schools open."

Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro also confirmed that pupils at the school had tested positive, but had since recovered.

Matabeleland South provincial medical director Ruth Chikodzore also said she had been advised that the learners had since been released after recovering.

Schools re-opened on January 4 for examination classes only.

Last year 184 children at John Tallach High School tested positive for the deadly virus, while in Mashonaland East province, two boarding schools were forced to close after a total of 52 infections were confirmed among students.

PTUZ on Wednesday said over 50 school heads across the country had been infected by the deadly virus.