Covid-19: KZN premier says all precautions are being taken for when learners return to school

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala, said during a press briefing on 24 May, that there are 1 777 confirmed cases with 49 deaths in the province.

He said, “When we engaged seven days ago we reported our numbers at 1 147. Today the number of confirmed positive cases are standing at 1 777. Deaths are at 49 from 46 last week and recoveries are at 1 168 from 806 we reported last Sunday [17 May]. Of these KwaZulu-Natal cases, 1 144 are in the eThekwini district.”

Current state of Covid-19 in the province:

Zikalala highlighted that the recoveries are higher than the increase in cases. He added that the iLembe district has fewer cases than eThekweni, however, when calculating according to cases per population, their numbers are higher. iLembe stands at 53.5 cases per 100 000 compared to the 30 per 100 000 in eThekweni.

He said that the province has the fourth-highest number of cases in the country. “We are making a great contribution to the fight against this pandemic. The province now reports an average of 20 new cases, which is a slight decline from 43 to 45 cases which we used to experience.”

He said that as of 23 May, the province had a total of 117 patients admitted at private or public hospitals.

“With regard to our screening and testing programme, we have to date screened 3.9 million people and tested about 80 208 people. The delay in laboratory testing and issuing of the results is noted and is being attended [to] by both the provincial and national departments of health.”

He added that the department has provided 1 870 beds for isolation and 5 164 beds for quarantine. He said that while they grapple with Covid-19, they are still confronted with the burden of a number of diseases which include tuberculosis and HIV/Aids.

“The message has not changed, disease prevention and early detection of diseases are key. We appeal to all people who suffer from chronic diseases such as the one’s I have mentioned to go to health care facilities and get their medications on a regular basis.”

Preparation to ensure schools are ready to reopen:

He added that the department has been working very hard to ensure schools are prepared for children to return. “We want to state it upfront that the PPEs and essentials for all our teachers have been delivered to districts and circuit offices.”

He highlighted that teachers and school management teams will not be expected to return to school’s tomorrow [25 May] as previously announced. He said that this is to ensure that all schools have been thoroughly cleaned and have received the necessary PPEs. He said that all teachers will now report to their schools on 28 May.

Zikalala added that the province has the highest number of Grade 12 learners who will return to school. About 49 000 teachers and staff support are expected to return to schools on 28 May. It is expected that there will be about 357 000 Grade 7 and 12 learners returning to school. All learners and staff will be provided with PPEs and schools will be cleaned twice a day.

During the lockdown period, 463 schools were vandalised and four were burned down. He said that the department will be procuring six mobile classrooms. He said they have put measures in place to ensure schools have only one entry and one exit point where only learners wearing masks will be allowed to enter.

“Sanitisation of learners and teachers will happen at the gate. Social distancing will be coordinated in line with the norm of 1.5-metre spacing between each person.”

Learners will have their temperature taken and should a learner have a high temperature, teachers will assist with prepared isolation rooms, advise next of kin and seek medical advice urgently.

He added that training of teachers has been done at a district level since 15 May. “The Department of Education has developed a booklet that outlines the non-negotiables for the teachers, non-teaching staff and learners at schools.”

A total of 4 500 water tanks have been secured and are being delivered to schools. “Water will be available in all schools, water availability will be checked every day.”

All returning learners will be provided with a nutritious meal daily and food preparation and serving will be done in line with safety measures.

There will be 470 buses, 30 minibuses and 164 taxis operating in the province and all the learner transport operators are ready to commence operation in line with Covid-19 safety measures.

“There will be no need to add a number of buses because there are enough buses for the grades that are returning. All buses will be sanitised thoroughly.

He said that the curriculum will be trimmed to make up for time lost during the lockdown, however, this will not apply to Grade 12 learners as their certificates are internationally recognised. The June exams will be moved to October.

“Let us ride the Covid-19 wave together. Sometimes the storm will rock our ship but united we will weather the storm and find calmer waters.”

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