Schools to remain closed except for exam pupils 'until further notice'

President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday declared that schools will remain indefinitely closed, just hours after the ministry of primary and secondary education published the school calendar which stated a January 10 opening.

The exception will be Form 4 and Upper Sixth pupils whose exams spilled over into 2022. They return to school on January 3.

Mnangagwa cited rising Covid-19 deaths as he also extended Zimbabwe's level 2 lockdown by another two weeks.

"With the exception of examination classes which resume classes as announced by the responsible ministry, the general school calendar is hereby delayed until further notice," Mnangagwa said.

The education ministry announced on Thursday that Form 1 classes would be delayed until Grade 7 results were released, while setting a date of January 10 for the opening of the first term. Mnangagwa appeared to reverse that with his televised address.

Mnangagwa noted that Zimbabwe had seen 142 deaths up to New Year's Eve since the start of the year.

"The last three days were especially dire, with some 2,000 new infections and 30 deaths recorded daily. Clearly, our nation is in the grips of an Omicron variant-induced fourth wave, whose curve we continue to struggle to flatten," he added.

He urged Zimbabweans to "without delay proceed to get vaccinated" and said his government would avail booster shots for the fully vaccinated.