Government: 1 281 Pupils, 131 Teachers Tested Positive For COVID-19 Since Schools Opened
The Ministry of Health and Child Care on Friday 24 September 2021 reported that 1 281 pupils and 131 teachers had tested positive for Covid-19 since schools opened on 30 August up to 23 September 2021.
It said most of the cases were at boarding schools and were mild and therefore did not require hospitalisation.
While there has been a spike in COVID-19 cases in schools since reopening, there have been no deaths so far.
There were 330 new cases on Thursday, 229 of them at schools.
Authorities downplay the surge insisting that schools will not be closed prematurely adding that a raft of measures have been adopted to ensure the safety of learners, teachers and all other school staff. Measures being taken include:
- Increased COVID-19 testing of all suspected cases on-site.
- Isolation and management of all positive cases at the affected schools.
- Quarantine of all learners that have been exposed at their schools.
- Restriction of movement into and out of the affected learning institutions/ schools until there are no more new cases. This includes the prohibition of visitations by parents.
- Enhanced public health and social measures including physical distancing, corhoting, hand washing and sanitization and proper wearing of face mask and exercising good hygienic standards.
- Vaccination of eligible population within the schools and the surrounding communities.
- Increased awareness on COVID-19 in the schools and surrounding communities.
Zimbabwe has approved the vaccination of teenagers from 14 which would cover most of those in secondary school upwards.
It has purchased enough vaccines to vaccinate over six million people but has so far administered just over 5.1 million doses with nearly 2.2 million people now fully vaccinated and just over three million having received one dose.
More: Pindula News; MoHCC
