COVID-19: South Africa orders closure of public schools as cases of virus increase

The government of South Africa has ordered the closure of public schools in the country for four weeks from next Monday as part of measures to combat a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Older students in primary and secondary schools returned to schools on 6 July.

While announcing the order on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said it was important to ensure that schools did not become sites of transmission at a time when COVID-19 cases in the country are rising at one of the fastest rates in the world.

“Taking into account the views of the various stakeholders and expert bodies, cabinet has decided that all public schools should take a break for the next four weeks,” President Ramaphosa said.

He said the current academic year will be extended beyond the end of 2020 as a result of the disruptions caused by the pandemic.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: Global death toll surpasses 600,000, as South Africa now ranks 5th in virus cases worldwide

“We have taken a deliberately cautious approach to keep schools closed during a period when the country is expected to experience its greatest increase in infections,” he said.

South Africa is now one of the world’s top five countries in terms of reported virus cases, and it makes up more than half of the cases on the African continent with 394,948. Deaths are at 5,940.

According to reports, almost half the country’s total number of deaths has been reported in the Western Cape Province.

The majority of confirmed COVID-19 cases are however in Gauteng province, the country’s financial hub and epicentre of the pandemic.

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