Covid-19: Zim bans half term breaks

BUSINESS REPORTER

Zimbabwe has banned half term breaks for learners to catch up and as part of containment measures following the outbreak of the pandemic in schools, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said this week.

The ban comes at a time when schools have recorded a surge in new infections affecting learners and teachers since they reopened for all classes on September 6.

Exam classes had opened a week earlier since the closure of schools in June.

“The nation is informed that Cabinet directed that half term breaks be prohibited in order to help learners catch up on time already lost during the lockdown and this will also strengthen Covid-19 containment measures,” Mutsvangwa said.

In the week ending September 27, new infections more than doubled to 3356 from 1669 in the previous week.

Mutsvangwa said the increase was due to a surge in a number of new cases in Masvingo (450), Mashonaland East Province (261), Matabeleland North (216), Manicaland (193), Midlands (190) and 145 in Mashonaland Central.

“It is apparent that Mashonaland East, Midlands, Masvingo and Matabeleland South provinces are experiencing a resurgence of Covid-19 spurred by the cases in boarding schools,” she said, adding the majority of the cases were mild and asymptomatic without the need for hospitalisation and are being managed by the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

Mutsvangwa said the Ministries of Health and Child Care, and Primary and Secondary Education “continue to implement the standard guidelines for the Coordinated Prevention and Management of Covid-19 at learning institutions, while strengthening measures to ensure continuous teaching and learning during isolation or quarantine”.

The increase in new cases had led to calls from teachers unions for the government to close schools.

But the government said last week that schools will remain open as the number of positive cases is insignificant.

Government announced a raft of measures to curb the increase of new infections in schools saying it would enhance surveillance and contact-tracing at schools and in the surrounding communities, increasing on-site Covid-19 testing of all suspected cases, contacts, and surrounding communities, isolation and management of all Covid-19 positive cases, and quarantining of those exposed as part of measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, among learners.

Meanwhile, the total number of vaccine doses sourced since roll-out of the vaccination programme is 12.3m, the bulk of which were procured through Treasury, Mutsvangwa said.

As of September 27, a total of        3 051 371 people had received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and 2 211 880 had obtained the second jab  across the country.

This translates to a national coverage of 35.7% for the first dose and 25.8% for the second dose, Mutsvangwa said.