FG Directs Schools To Conduct Weekly COVID-19 Assessment

FG Directs Schools To Conduct Weekly COVID-19 Assessment

The Federal Government has released more guidelines that will prevent the spread of COVID-19 as more states fully reopen schools on Monday.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which disclosed this to The PUNCH on Thursday, stated that schools had been directed to conduct COVID-19 risk assessment every week.

The NCDC also disclosed that local governments and states were directed to conduct monthly and quarterly COVID-19 risk assessment in schools respectively.

The NCDC Director General, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, stated these in an electronic mail sent to one of our correspondents in response to enquiries.

According to the NCDC, the assessment will determine schools’ level of compliance with safety protocols including physical distancing, hand-washing and the use of face masks, whose violation can put students at risk of COVID-19.

Also on Thursday, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 said the Federal Government would seize passports of travellers who failed to carry out COVID-19 test. It added that visas of foreign travellers would be cancelled.

Schools across the country were shut in March as part of measures to check the spread of COVID-19. But the Senior Secondary School 3 students resumed on August 17 to write the West African Senior School Examinations.

At its press conference on September 3, the PTF recommended phased reopening of schools.

Following the PTF’s recommendation, states that have announced dates for reopening of their schools include Ogun, Lagos, Osun, Ekiti, Ekiti, Delta and Kogi. States where schools are resuming on Monday include Lagos, Ekiti , Osun and Ogun.