Six schools in the Northern Cape are currently closed due to Covid-19 infections.
A TOTAL of 339 new Covid-19 cases, which includes 36 teachers, 289 pupils and 14 support staff, were recorded at various schools by the Northern Cape Department of Education this past week.
Department spokesperson Geoffrey van der Merwe said on Sunday that six schools in the Province are currently closed due to Covid-19 infections.
“The six schools are scheduled to open during the course of this coming week. The high infection rate, especially amongst our learners, is very concerning and we appeal to parents as well as school communities to limit movement or social interaction of our learners while at home. Schools are the microcosm of our society and at this stage mirror the level of infections in our communities,” said Van der Merwe.
He urged communities to remain vigilant and advised parents of pupils who are aged 18 and older to encourage their children to get vaccinated.
“We encourage parents who have children aged 18 and above to register them on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) for the public vaccination programme or the specific age group. The vaccination has proven to be safe and it provides a mechanism through which we can protect ourselves against the Covid-19 pandemic. We must also remember to adhere to the non-pharmaceutical interventions by wearing masks, sanitising and washing of hands regularly and by keeping our social distance,” Van der Merwe said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Angie Motshekga, during a media briefing on Sunday has indicated that the October school holiday will not be affected.
“We met with MECs on Friday, August 27 to consider inputs from stakeholders following rounds of consultations. When we lost a week of schooling in July, we had made a commitment that we would plough back the time by looking at other measures. One of the measures we were looking at was scrapping the October holidays. However, after consultations it was clear, and for very valid reasons, that we have to keep the schooling calendar as it stands,” said Motshekga.
