Update
MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The Department of Education says their representatives of the district office tried to talk to learners at Indwe Secondary School in Mossel Bay today with regards to their concerns, but says this dialogue was interrupted by hostile behaviour and activity by members of Congress of South African Students (COSAS).
The meeting with learners follows a protest in front of the school where learners are demanding that the whole school must be closed to be disinfected, following the positive Covid-19 test result of a learner and according to a spokesperson, two teachers.
Bronagh Hammond, spokesperson for the Department of Education, however says only one staff member has tested positive for Covid-19 last week.
“The school had a confirmed case of Covid-19 reported over the weekend. A staff member has tested positive. All the correct procedures were then followed. The areas where the staff member had been was cordoned off and decontaminated.”
Hammond says the learners are now demanding that the whole school is decontaminated.
“This is not necessary, as the staff member was only in a designated area of the school.”
She says the community must realise that schools are very large spaces and are not currently being fully utilized.
Only Grade 12 and 11 learners are back at school, so half the school has remained empty and unused.
“So if and when there is a need to decontaminate a school, based on evidence from the positive case on his or her movements, a decision will be made on whether to decontaminate a full site or just a section of a site where contact was made,” Hammond says.
She says this is in line with their guidelines – as advised by the department of health.
“In addition, schools are to clean continuously, as per our cleaning guidelines.”
Meanwhile, Hammond says the protestors were not adhering to their own concerns regarding safety – such as social distancing.
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