22 Schools Closed Down As Coronavirus Spreads After Reopening

The Government Has Ordered The Closure Of 22 Schools That Reopened Following The Spread Of Coronavirus.

France has closed down 22 schools due to a rise in coronavirus cases, the country’s Education Minister, Jean-Michel Blanquer confirmed on Friday.

Blanquer noted that over half of these cases were in the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion.

Speaking with Europe 1 radio, he, however, said he was pleased with how the return to school had progressed since children went back on Tuesday.

10 schools have closed in mainland France and 12 on La Reunion, where there has been a recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

Up to 130 classes have also been halted within schools and the minister said the authorities were checking around 250 incidents related to Coronavirus in schools every day.

These incidents are mainly linked to “factors outside school concerning people who could have been contaminated” over the summer, he said.

More than three COVID cases mean that the school is temporarily shut, he said.

France is currently experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases, with 7,157 new cases reported on.

BREAKING: Federal Government Okays full reopening of schools ( see details)

The Federal Government says state governments and school administrators should start making preparations for the full reopening of schools in the country.

However, the Federal Government announced the resumption of graduating pupils effective August 4, 2020, to write this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination from August 17, 2020, through September 12, 2020.

But speaking on Thursday, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, during a briefing at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, said the task force recommends phased return of students.

Aliyu said, “For educational institutions which include daycare, primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. Educational institutions should begin the process of working towards potentially reopening within this phase.

“However, we strongly recommend that states conduct risk assessment to ensure all schools are at a level of compliance and create a monitoring mechanism to assess, create, and monitor this level of preparedness.

“Meanwhile, all daycares and educational institutions are to remain closed to in-classes until this level of risk is assessed. And if there will be opening of schools, it must be staged and preferably carried out in phases to ensure that this does not pose a risk to the general public and in particular to vulnerable groups that might end up getting infected by students going back home.”

COVID-19: Principals Say FCT Schools Ready For Reopening

Principals of secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) said safety measures have been put in place for students to resume classes.

The president, All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), FCT chapter, Alhaji Abdulkarim Abdulrahman, who made the statement, stressed that principals were satisfied with the arrangements put in place by the FCT Administration to ensure that students did not contract coronavirus when they resume.

He spoke during the distribution of 10,000 units of three-in-one protective equipment against COVID-19 for students across the FCT at Government Secondary School, Garki, Abuja.

Alhaji Abdulkarim insisted that principals were prepared for reopening as safety guidelines had been put in place.

“Coronavirus is not a threat to FCT schools because the principals have braced up for reopening of schools, especially with the necessary provisions by the administration.

“We are happy and set for commencement of classes because the FCT Administration, through the Education Secretariat has provided all the necessary medical materials needed to ensure safety in the schools,” he said.

He explained that the items, which were donated by Kas Arts Service Limited, would be shared based on zones and across schools under the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), Secondary Education Board (SEB) and Science and Technology.

According to the breakdown, schools under UBEB got 600 cartons of nose masks, sanitizer and face shields.