DURBAN – Since the return of Grade 12 and Grade 7 pupils throughout South Africa from June 8, many schools have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. In KwaZulu-Natal, there have been 28 schools affected, 14 of which will remain open.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala said that 28 teachers and 5 students have been infected by Covid-19, within the province.
"Of 28 schools affected, 14 will be reopening after all safety protocols have been followed. These include testing of all contacts and decontaminating the schools. The remaining are also following the same process and are expected to resume schooling during the course of the week," said Zikalala
"We want to implore all the teachers, learners and other non-teaching [staff] to continue exercising caution, even when they are not within school premises. The highest is Umlazi district with seven. Let me clarify that the district is not a township but it is a district that is part of Durban South coming to Durban west. The lowest where there are no cases of infected teachers and learners is Amajuba and UmKhanyakude," he said.
Pupils from Gardenia Primary School in Wentworth and John Ross College in Richards Bay have also contracted the virus. KwaZulu-Natal Education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said that the education department is aware of the situation at these schools however not all schools in KwaZulu-Natal have to close.
School Governing Bodies (SGB) in Chatsworth are also calling for the closure of 12 of the schools in the area. SBG spokesperson Brandon Pillay said: "We are saying, we can't allow for kids to become another statistic. You can't allow for an increase because we know we are about to reach a peak and as a precautionary measure, other schools within the zone should close.”
CORONAVIRUS MONITOR