The government has set September 20 2020 as the reopening day for finalists although the Ministry of Health will not be conducting mandatory COVID-19 tests for all the candidate learners before they restart school.
This comes after the government said that all finalists at different education levels will be reporting to schools amid COVID-19 resurgence with several parents and guardians worried about the safety of their children.
Dr. Charles Olaro, the director of Clinical services says the health ministry has been carrying out assessment surveys and they know where the disease is. He asserts that for the start, schools, learners, and teachers will have to follow the given guidelines.
Dr. Olaro says that the only testing government will carry out on learners or teachers or school staff will be after an alert or positive case is reported. This is in line with the health ministry’s recent decision to make people pay for testing. Individuals who want to know their COVID-19 status have to pay Shillings 240,000.
Earlier proposals had hinted on the possible testing of all learners. However, during the recent presidential address, the President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni noted that this will be a very expensive venture for the government to afford.
Dr. Diana Atwine, the health permanent secretary said that the ministry is working with their Education counterparts to make sure that all learners are safe when the school term re-opens.
“The ministry of education is working towards opening schools and we are working with them to make sure all learners are safe. Since the opening will be for finalists, we believe that it’s possible to safeguard all learners if SOPs are followed,” Atwine said.
According to a tentative school reopening strategy from the education ministry, all government schools both primary and secondary will receive a minimum of six-foot and hand-operated washing facilities, two temperature guns, one plastic spray pump, and 20 liters of Jik disinfectant.
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