Covid-19 cases in schools drop

ONLY 41 Covid-19 cases remain active in the country's schools as mandatory quarantining of some boarding schools to prevent the deadly pandemic is lifted, allowing learners to return home.

The schools' first term ends today with learning institutions reopening for the second term on June 28.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has called on stakeholders in the education sector to exercise caution so that no new infections are reported when schools reopen.

Primary and Secondary Education Ministry communication and advocacy director Mr Taungana Ndoro said the schools will be guided on how to handle the remaining 41 active Covid-19 cases as schools close.

Mr Ndoro however, said there is a high likelihood that even pupils with Covid-19 cases will be allowed to return home.

"We will take advice from the Ministry of Health and Child Care which will direct us in terms of management of the Covid-19 cases. The Ministry of Health and Child Care normally looks at the symptomatic and non-symptomatic and the severity of cases in terms of the management. We have no school that is under quarantine. The schools which were most affected such as Sacred Heart, Embakwe High School in Matabeleland South have had their pupils recovering," said Mr Ndoro.

He said teachers should avoid conducting physical holiday lessons as this could expose schools to Covid-19 as they reopen.

"As a ministry, we strongly discourage conducting of physical holiday lessons or private lessons during the holiday which can expose our learners to Covid-19 because they would not follow Standard Operation Procedures. While we are discouraging that (physical lessons), we are encouraging online platforms. They should utilise distance learning platforms which are available. If parents could assist by purchasing data for their children and ensure that they are connected," he said.

Mr Ndoro said the ministry does not want a situation where schools record a spike in Covid-19 when schools reopen later this month.

"We are sending a very strong and clear message, we are urging all our learners and teachers and anybody who works within the education sector, ancillary staff, school heads to be extremely vigilant in adopting preventive measures during the holidays. Because Covid-19 comes to our schools from the community, we want to ensure that when we reopen schools on June 28, we do not bring Covid-19 to our schools from the community. We need our teachers, learners and staff members to be extremely vigilant when they are at home," he said.

"They should ensure that they do not expose themselves to Covid-19. They should continue with their Standard Operation Procedures. We need to work together with the community members to ensure that there is no Covid-19 that comes to our schools."