Minister acts to allay coronavirus fears as school closes

HEALTH Minister Zweli Mkhize led a high-powered inter-ministerial delegation in a swift reaction to allay fears about the spread of coronavirus after the number of cases in South Africa doubled.

Mkhize maintained that the country was on top of the situation when he announced another four confirmed cases yesterday, bringing the total to seven.

The minister’s assurances came hours after a Joburg primary school closed for the day owing to fears of the virus.

Yesterday, Grayston Preparatory School locked its gates and suspended classes after one of its female teachers was placed in quarantine for showing symptoms of the feared Covid-19.

The Sandton-based school decided that it would be safer if the school closed its gates for all learners.

Gauteng Department of Education’s Steve Mabona confirmed the closure of the school for the day but could not confirm the reports about the teacher.

“As the department, we would like to confirm that Grayston Preparatory School has been closed for the day.

“The staff member in question will remain in self-imposed isolation for the quarantine period. At this stage, she remains asymptomatic and in good health,” he said.

Mabona said the department would undertake a deep-cleansing process of the campus tomorrow and the school would re-open tomorrow.

It is alleged that the Grayston teacher may have come into contact with one or more of a group of 10 people who recently returned from a skiing holiday in Italy where the virus is wreaking havoc.

National Institute for Communicable Diseases chairperson Dr Natalie Mayet confirmed that the teacher was yet to be tested but was in isolation.

Mkhize also confirmed that all the seven confirmed cases of Covid-19 were from the group of 10 that travelled

on holiday to Italy recently and arrived back through King Shaka Airport. “Four of them have now tested positive,” Mkhize said.

He said the main focus was to track down people who had been in contact with those affected and get them tested.

Mkhize said people who are being infected were those that travelled to countries other than China.

“We need to be more vigilant because the infection could come from any airline,” he said.

He added that the infection could become a local transmission.

“Beyond one person that comes from outside, our people locally are the ones that are transmitting the infection,” Dr Mkhize said.

Meanwhile, there is concern that some Tvet College students who were sent to study in China are reportedly misbehaving, while some have been sent back home due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Through the Extended Learning Unit and Construction Education and Training Authority (Ceta) the students embarked on a lifechanging opportunity to pursue further training in different career fields in China.

This comes after the Ceta signed an agreement with the Chinese Culture and International Education Exchange Centre.

The programme officially commenced in 2018, since some students have already completed their training and returned home. With the outbreak of the coronavirus on the rise, various students were sent back to their colleges for safety precautions.

Nkangala Tvet College in Mpumalanga, Emalahleni welcomed back three students.

Phumelele Brown, the head of the Extended Learning Unit, Emalahleni campus, said the students could no longer proceed with their studies.