Schoolgirls at a cultural event in Rumbek, the capital of Lakes State, in 2019 | Credit | Loreto Schools

The Ministry of Health has reiterated its call on school administrators to ensure there is strict adherence to standard operating procedures when classes resume next week.

Public and private learning institutions will reopen on Monday as directed by the Ministry of General Education.

But health officials warned that the schools may close down again if public health measures are not followed.

The directives include; disinfecting classrooms, wearing masks, availing hand-washing equipment and sanitizers, and avoiding crowds.

The Ministry of General Education has recommended that only 50 learners will be allowed in a classroom at the primary schools and 45 learners at the secondary schools.

A class of more than 50 learners must be divided into batches to maintain quality of learning and physical distancing as indicated by the Ministry of Health.

This, according to the coronavirus taskforce, is to avoid a resurgence of the pandemic as neighboring Uganda reports its first case of coronavirus variant.

If these measures are not followed, the undersecretary in the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, Dr. Kuyok Abol Kuyok says the schools may shut down.

“If we have a huge increase in infections, then schools will be closed,” Dr. Kuyok said. “We would go back to lockdown and that is not our responsibility it is the responsibility of the national taskforce for Covid-19.”

The Ministry of Education has also recommended that all staff, learners and visitors should have their temperature checked prior to entering the school compound.

All learners and school staff are advised to wash their hands prior to entering the school compound, before and after each lesson, before and after having food and after using toilets.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Health in Uganda announced that the new coronavirus variant discovered in India had been detected in the country.

Experts say this variant [mutations] may enable the coronavirus to spread faster from person to person, and more infections can result in more people getting very sick or dying.