So far, 73 pupils who tested positive are asymptomatic
while the remaining 27 have mild symptoms.
Addressing the 41st post-Cabinet media briefing yesterday,
chairperson of the Covid-19 Inter-Ministerial Taskforce, Defence and War
Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, said the testing of pupils
at schools was part of standard operating procedures adopted by Government when
schools re-opened in September.
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said six girls initially tested
positive before further tests on another 105 samples brought 38 more positive
results.
“The Matabeleland North Covid-19 response team, with the
support of the Ministry of Health and Child Care structures, successfully
handled the cases of six female learners reported to have tested positive at a
boarding school, John Tallach, in the province. However, the situation further
developed on Friday November 13 when further tests of 105 samples confirmed a
further 38 Covid-19 positive cases and the Ministry of Health and Child Care is
assisting the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to implement the
necessary containment measures,” Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said.
“After we received this report, Cabinet resolved and
directed that where we are faced with this situation, the school must be closed
immediately and we must make sure that as opposed to rapid tests, we must
resort to PCR so we get the correct scientific result. The situation is now
under control in the hands of appropriate authorities,” she said.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Cain Mathema,
told the same briefing that pupils in examination classes will be assisted to
ensure that they write their examinations.
“We will do everything to assist every learner to write
their exams. Those who are unable to write because they have suddenly been
found to be infected, we will do the best we can to make sure that that child
is given the opportunity to write their exams. We don’t want any child to miss
their exams and we will do the best we can. Covid-19 attacks when it attacks.
We will work according to the situation at each particular time but we will
protect and assist them to write their exams,” he said.
Schools re-opened on September 28 after they were closed in
March to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Examination classes were the first to be re-admitted with
Grade Six, Form Three and Form Five returning on October 26. The rest of the
classes re-opened on November 9.
The recording of Covid-19 cases came as Government said it
had noted with concern that there has been an increase in positive cases in the
country over the past two weeks.
To ensure that schools do not become centres for the spread
of the virus, Cabinet has since resolved that when positive cases are suspected
at learning institutions that do not have adequate testing facilities, the
schools should be immediately closed in order to allow for testing of all
pupils and only those who test negative return to school.
Schools with adequate facilities may continue lessons while
testing proceeds and those who test positive are excluded.
Acting Matabeleland North Provincial Medical Director Dr
Munekayi Padingani said the cases were detected soon after the return of Lower
Six and Form Three pupils to school. “By Monday 100 pupils had tested positive
with 73 having mild symptoms and 27 are asymptomatic. We suspect that one of
the pupils who attended a funeral in South Africa might have brought the
disease to the school but we continue with investigations and contact tracing,”
he said.
“When the Form Four and Six students were at the school,
everything was okay but soon after schools opened for Lower Six and Form Three,
that is when cases started coming in. The first day they called us to come and
check on five cases just as the school was preparing to receive Form Two and
One learners. That forced school authorities to stop the lower grades from
coming to school.”
Dr Padingani said teachers have not been spared as well, as
some are infected but could not give the exact number.
“We first responded to a call from a school authority who
had identified the first five learners that were not feeling well. We did send
a team there who collected specimens which were sent to Mpilo. The kids were
sent home because they were the only ones with symptoms. The following day the
tests came positive on all of them. We communicated with the students and
parents and made a follow up to test all the contacts at home. We also started
testing all who were symptomatic at school,” he added.
“The school is quarantined and police are providing
security. Among the first five that we sent home, one of the pupils’ family
members also tested positive. Investigations are in progress.”
He said no learning is taking place and a satellite clinic
has been set up inside the school. Learners are in different rooms, depending
on their condition.
“Those who are positive are put in one place those who are
sick but tested negative in another room and those who have been tested and are
awaiting results in another room. We did provide medicine, PPEs and some other
commodities to make sure that our clinic is well equipped with medicine so that
we keep things under control,” he said.
The PMD urged the public to take the guidelines seriously
to prevent Covid-19 set by Government through the Ministry of Health and Child
Care.
“Covid-19 is real, let us follow the Ministry of Health and
Child Care instruction of wearing facemasks, sanitising and social distancing.
We managed to pick it up at school because it is a confined place where
everyone is known. The difference is everyone had the possibility to be tested.
If we are to test everyone in the city, we do know how many we are going to
get. People are supposed to behave responsibly,” he said.
John Tallach Secondary School’s Development Committee
representative Mr Zibusiso Ncube said the school observed health guidelines but
the virus could have penetrated when non-examination classes resumed lessons.
“The systems we put in place in line with the ministry
guidelines implemented globally proved to be efficient as the learners who
presented symptoms were quickly identified and they got medical attention,” he
said.
When our Bulawayo Bureau visited the school yesterday in
the afternoon, the main gate was locked.
The Village Head of Mgiqo line, where the school is located
in Ntabazinduna, Mr Nhlanganiso Philip Ndaba, was unhappy that school
authorities had not informed him about the positive cases in the area. Herald
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