Covid 19: Gombe establishes isolation spaces in boarding schools

Gombe state Commissioner of Education, Dr. Habu Dahiru has said that as a proactive measure to manage the covid-19 pandemic in Schools across the State, his Ministry in collaboration with the State Rapid Response Team of the covid-19 Task force has established 15 isolation spaces in boarding schools and also conducted training for staff and students on risk communication and Infection Prevention Control, IPC.

The Commissioner who stated this in an interview in Gombe disclosed that so far over 2000 samples have been collected from staff and students of secondary schools in the state.

He said priority on samples collection and testing wasgiven to boarding schools.

Dr. Dahiru gave the names of the Schools with covid-19 positive patients as; GGSS Kumo, GSSS Billiri, GTC Kumo, GGC Doma, GGTC Amada, GSSS Gombe and Billiri adding that all the confirmed cases were asymptomatic and that 17 out of the 20 cases have been successfully managed and discharged while 3 are still on isolation.

He said non of the 20 students missed any paper during the on going WAEC examination as special arrangements and provision of personal protection equipment PPE were made for invigilators and supervisors at the isolation centres.

In a related development, the Gombe State Chief Epidemiologist, Dr. Bile Nuhu said the establishment of school isolation spaces across the sixteen boarding schools in the state will go a long way to effectively manage the virus at its early stage.

He said the school Isolation spaces are domiciled at the clinic of each of the secondary schools within the State and will only manage mild covid-19 cases.

“Part of the guideline for the re-opening schools is to ramp up testing of covid-19 for students and teachers so as to avert a situation where students and teachers alike will go about spreading the virus amongst themselves and consequently to members of the general public”.

Dr. Bile said the State has since adapted the ‘out of hospital care’ for positive cases, saying those infected with the covid-19 virus are now being effectively managed at home.

“As long as the cases are mild there is no point going to the isolation Centre, moreso that majority of the infection in the young people is the mild and in most without symptoms”.

He said the State Ministry of health has trained school health masters and clinic-incharge on basic management procedures of covid-19 and surveillance, while also equipping them with consumables like face masks, hand sanitizers, gloves and infra red thermometer while the testing of students remains the responsibility of the Task force.

Dr. Nuhu Bile assured parents that the State Government has put every machinery in place to ensure the safety of every student.