President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster on Sunday, 15 March. In his speech, the President announced that schools, including early childhood development centres (crèches, daycare centres for young children, playgroups, pre-schools or after-school care) will be closed from Today, 18 March as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
The South African Police Service has urged parents and caretakers to make sure they have a plan in place during this time as their children spend a lot more time at home.
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These are the following safety tips offered by SAPS:
- Be open with your children about what is going on in the world, especially with regard to the coronavirus outbreak. Use age-appropriate language, watch their reactions, and be sensitive to their level of anxiety
- Teach your children how to properly wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Always make sure there is an adult you trust who can supervise them
- Don’t leave your children under the supervision of other children
- Don’t allow your children to wander off on their own, always make sure you know where they are at all times
- Ensure they keep the house locked, teach your children to keep the house locked always and to never open to anyone, especially strangers
- Remember to write down emergency numbers in case your children can’t get hold of you
Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on COVID-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as ‘fake news’) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on COVID-19.
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