Five days after schools opened in the Eastern Cape for the first time, 20 schools had to close their doors because of the Covid 19 pandemic.
These 20 schools are part of about 70 schools in the province that have been adversely affected by the pandemic.
The provincial education department is also investigating the possibility of coronavirus infection at another 48 schools.
Loyiso Pulumane, spokesperson for the education department in the province, called on everyone in the school system to stay calm and not cause panic or fear.
Pulumane said when asked that a total of 15 teachers, three pupils and two workers who were not part of the school’s teaching staff were tested positive for Covid-19.
Mongameli Peter, provincial chairman of the National Association of School Governing Bodies, says they are concerned about the state of affairs at schools and that from the outset they were opposed to reopening schools before August.
Other schools in East London that were closed include St. Anne’s, De Vos Malan, Greenpoint Secondary, John Bisseker High and East London Secondary.
In Nelson Mandela Bay, gr. 12s dismissed on Monday. The school in question closed because a teacher tested positive for the virus.
The principal received confirmation of the test result on Monday and immediately notified the district office.
The teacher’s colleagues were all subjected to a screening process at the school. Some teachers need to be tested.
At Machiu Primary School, some teachers were in tears when it came to light that a colleague they were in contact with might be positive.
A team from the Department of Education and Health arrived at the school and the school closed.
The teacher informed her principal that she was starting to feel ill over the weekend.
