The Zimbabwean Government is putting in place the necessary measures for the reopening of schools following the decline in Covid-19 cases over the past few weeks and the rolling out of the vaccination programme.
In a post cabinet media briefing held in Harare this Tuesday, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Senator Monica Mutsvangwa said the relevant Ministry is working on the modalities for the safe reopening of schools given the recent success in government’s Covid-19 response strategy.
“Regarding primary and secondary education, the responsible Ministry continues to work with the Ministry of Health and Child Care to prepare for the inevitable reopening of schools”, she said.
“Meanwhile, the training of school health coordinators and the assessment of the schools’ preparations for the resumption of learning is ongoing. Government is doing its best to ensure that adequate precautionary measures are taken before schools are opened.”
Under the national vaccination programme, a large part of the second phase is concentrated on lecturers and teachers, who will be vaccinated after the frontline staff, elderly and those with chronic complaints are done.
Minister Mutsvangwa announced that the Russian Federation has promised to donate vaccines, joining China whose donated Sinopharm vaccine is already being administered to frontline health workers, and India whose gift was confirmed by President Mnangagwa last week.
Sanitation in schools was also improved to enable exams to be written in a safer environment with the Government spending $600 million on needy schools.
India has promised to give 75 000 doses and Russia 12 000 doses to Zimbabwe, said Minister Mutsvangwa while the government has put together resources sufficient to procure Covid-19 vaccines to cover the herd immunity of 10 million people.
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