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Mkhululi Ncube and Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Chronicle Reporters
GOVERNMENT has put in place measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 at John Tallach Secondary School and the situation is now under control after 100 pupils and an undisclosed number of teachers contracted the virus, resulting in the learning institution being turned into a quarantine centre.

A total of 73 pupils who tested positive have mild symptoms, while 27 are asymptomatic and more tests are being conducted.

Examination classes resumed on September 28 after schools were prematurely closed in March to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Grade Six, Form Three and Form Five classes reopened on October 26 and the rest of the pupils reopened on November 9.

The recording of Covid-19 cases came as Government said it had noted with concern that there has been an increase in positive cases in the country over the past two weeks.

To ensure that schools do not become flashpoints for the spread of the virus, Cabinet has since resolved that when positive cases are suspected at learning institutions that do not have adequate testing facilities, the schools should be immediately closed in order to allow for testing of all pupils and only those who test negative return to school.

Schools with adequate facilities may continue lessons while testing proceeds and those who test positive are excluded.

During a Cabinet briefing yesterday, the Ad Hoc Inter Ministerial Task Force on Covid-19 chairperson, who is also the Minister of Defence, Security and War Veterans, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri yesterday said using the standard operating procedures which were put in place during the opening of schools, the Matabeleland North Province rapid response team with the support of the Ministry of Health and Child Care successfully handled the situation at John Tallach.

“The Ministry of Health is assisting the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to implement the necessary containment measures but I want to say that after we received this report, Cabinet resolved and directed that where we are faced with this situation, the school must be closed immediately and we must make sure that as opposed to rapid tests we must resort to PCR so we get the correct scientific result. The situation is now under control in the hands of appropriate authorities,” she said.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Cain Mathema told the same briefing that pupils in examination classes will be assisted to ensure that they write their examinations.

“We will do everything to assist every learner to write their exams. Those who are unable to write because they have suddenly been found to be infected, we will do the best we can to make sure that that child is given the opportunity to write their exams, we don’t want any child to miss their exams and we will do the best we can. Covid-19 attacks when it attacks, we will work according to the situation at each particular time but we will protect and assist them to write their exams,” he said.

Acting Matabeleland North Provincial Medical Director (PMD) Dr Munekayi Padingani said the cases were detected soon after the return of Lower Six and Form Three pupils to school.

“By Monday 100 pupils had tested positive with 73 having mild symptoms, 27 are asymptomatic. We suspect that one of the pupils who attended a funeral in South Africa might have brought the diseases to the school but we continue with investigations and contact tracing,” he said.

“When the Form Four and Six students were at the school, everything was okay but soon after schools opened for Lower Six and Form Three that is when cases started coming in. The first day they called us to come and check on five cases just as the school was preparing to receive Form Two and One learners. That forced school authorities to stop the lower grades from coming to school.”

Dr Padingani said teachers have not been spared as well as some are infected but could not give the exact number.

“We first responded to a call from a school authority who had identified the first five learners that were not feeling well. We did send a team there who collected specimen which was sent to Mpilo. The kids were sent home because they were the only ones with symptoms. The following day the tests came positive on all of them. We communicated with the students and parents and made a follow up at home to test all the contacts at home. We also started testing all who were symptomatic at school,” he added.

“The school is quarantined and police are providing security. Among the first five that we sent home, one of the pupils’ family members also tested positive. Investigations are in progress.”

He said no learning is currently taking place at the school as authorities try to contain the outbreak.

“Classes are closed and we have put a satellite clinic inside the school and our staff are staying there to test and treat.

We identified many cases, so we did put an isolation centre inside there,” he said.

He said they have put the leaners in different rooms depending on their condition.

“Those who are positive are put in one place those who are sick but tested negative in another room and those who have been tested and are waiting results in another room. We did provide medicine, PPEs and some other commodities to make sure that our clinics is well equipped with medicine so that we keep things under control,” he said.

The PMD urged the public to take seriously the guidelines to prevent Covid-19 set by Government through the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

“Covid-19 is real, let us follow the Ministry of Health and Child Care instruction of wearing mask, sanitizing and social distancing. We managed to pick it at school because it is a confined place where everyone is known. The difference is everyone had the possibility to be tested. If we are to test everyone in the city, we do know how many we are going to get, people are supposed to behave responsibly, “he said.

John Tallach Secondary School’s Development Committee (SDC) representative Mr Zibusiso Ncube said the learning institution observed health guidelines but the virus could have penetrated when non examination classes resumed lessons.

He said the standard operating procedures put in place were observed and the majority of pupils who tested positive were asymptomatic.

“The systems we put in place in line with the ministry guidelines implemented globally proved to be efficient as the learners who presented symptoms were quickly identified and they got medical attention,” he said.

Primary and Secondary Education Ministry spokesperson Mr Blessings Ndoro said the school was now a quarantine centre.

Day scholars, he said, were no longer attending school as a measure to stop the spread of Covid-19.

He said the school has a total enrollment of 623 pupils.

“Standard operating procedures are still in place and being implemented since schools opened and John Tallach has since become a quarantine centre, no one is allowed to go there or move from there at the moment,” said Mr Ndoro.

“Pupils are no longer allowed to visit other dormitories and they have started going for meals in batches so that they do not mix even in the dining hall. Lessons for day scholars have been suspended so that we try and contain then situation.”

When a Chronicle news team visited the school yesterday in the afternoon, the school’s main gate was under lock and key.

The Village Head of Mgiqo line where the school is located in Ntabazinduna, Nhlanganiso Philip Ndaba bemoaned that school authorities had not informed him about the positive cases in the area.

“They did not inform me of the developments. Am hearing it from talk in the community but officially there is nothing I know. I don’t know how many children are affected. Kuyasethusa if you don’t get official information when people talk, they will add what is not true. It would have been good if they communicated with me. That way I would be able to know how to advise the community,” he said.

A villager Mr Johnna Ncube said: “We heard about the outbreak last Thursday. All workers at the school who stay in our area were told to come and stay at the school. I don’t know if the cases are going up or what since there is no one coming out or getting into the school. We are using masks and keeping social distance otherwise what else can we do.

All day scholars who come from our area are not going to school, they are home.”

Another villager, Mrs Ntombizodwa Tshuma (66) urged authorities to send community educators to the area.

“We know that since we are near the school we are at risk. We are keeping in doors and just go out when we go to the fields. We are worried because children are there facing this virus without their parents.

“But we hope they will respond well to whatever they are being given. My appeal will be for increased education in the community,” she said.