ALL KITWE SCHOOLS UNDER SCRUTINY

THE Kitwe City Council has embarked on an inspection exercise of all learning institutions to ensure that they meet public health requirements for them to be issued with compliance certificates in readiness for re-opening.

The local authority would collaborate with the Ministry of Health to thoroughly inspect all learning institutions and ensure that they were compliant with the stipulated Covid-19 guidelines before they could begin to operate.

Kitwe City Council Director of Public Health, Rodney Banda, said the local authority would only allow learning institutions that would have valid health compliance certificates.

The council, he said, would be tough on any institution disregarding the laid down public health procedures.

"We have devised an assessment criteria and forms to conduct the inspection before issuance of Health Compliance Certificates to those who will adhere to the Covid-19 guidelines," he said.

Mr Banda said learning institutions should ensure that classrooms had proper ventilation, sitting arrangement at minimum of one metre apart, with constant water supply.

Additionally, schools should be replete with washing facilities, soap or sanitizers while pupils should always mask up.

He stated that the local authority would continue conducting random monitoring of learning institutions so that compliance levels were maintained.

Mr Banda has since appealed to all managers of schools, colleges and universities to immediately obtain health compliance certificates.