Fact Check – How long is the ban on visits to boarding schools?

The Zimbabwe government has banned visits to boarding schools over fears of a spike in Covid-19 cases, according to social and mainstream media platforms.

Claim: The ban on parents and guardians to see students at these schools applies to this term only, according to some of the reports.

Is this true or false?

Verdict: True. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education says the current suspension notice on visits applies to this term, and is subject to review during the coming school terms.

Taungana Ndoro, director of communications and advocacy in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, said the ban is meant to manage and minimise the spread of COVID-19.

“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is not allowing visiting by parents and guardians to schools this term because COVID 19 cases are escalating, and we need to manage and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our schools,” said Ndoro.

Schools that were meant to have visits on 25 February have communicated the government ban, and have cancelled the scheduled visits until further notice.

What is the current state of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe?

Covid-19 is still here.

The Zimbabwe health authorities have called on people to remain vigilant, saying it is concerned by a spike in new Covid-19 cases the country has been recording since December 2022.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has similarly warned that the Covid pandemic is alive globally, a message arising from worries that many people were dropping their guard and countries relaxing their Covid-19 management systems too quickly despite the emergence of new Covid variants.

Ndoro said Zimbabwean education authorities would continue to enforce the standard operating procedures that were put in place to manage the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

In January 2023, Zimbabwe recorded an increase in COVID -19 cases. As of February 19, official records showed 19 new cases, 49 recoveries and a total of 867 active cases countrywide, according to the Ministry of Health and Child Care Situation Report.

According to an outbreak investigation published 2022, conducted at a boarding school in Mashonaland East in 2020, overcrowding in boarding schools was noted as a major factor in the rapid spread of the virus.

Sources:
Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education,
Ministry of Health and Child Care Covid-19 Situation Report, February 1
World Health Organisation (WHO).