NEW: Schooling not normal in a pandemic, says health expert

Online Reporter

HEALTH expert and Mpilo Central Hospital acting chief executive officer, Professor Solwayo Ngwenya, has urged parents to accept the reality that schooling is not normal during a pandemic.

He said a rushed re-opening of schools would have led to increased transmission of Covid-19 as learning institutions are super spreaders.

Zimbabwe experienced an increase in Covid-19 infections in December, heralding the fourth wave, which was driven by the Omicron variant.

The country recorded 1 591 new cases and 31 deaths on Tuesday.

Posting on his Twitter handle, Professor Ngwenya said schooling is not normal during a pandemic and parents should accept that reality.

“Coronavirus: one CRITICAL issue that we must ACCEPT as parents is that normal schooling is NOT possible during PANDEMIC times. Schools are massive superspreaders of airborne variants. Therefore, hurried and thoughtless re-opening of schools could lead to terrible outcomes,” said Professor Ngwenya.

His sentiments come as there are reports that two other Covid-19 variants are likely to hit the world soon.

Last week Government delayed the re-opening of schools, except for examination classes, which resumed on Monday.