20 hotspots, 11 testing centres identified in Western Area

Sports

While containing the scourge, the National COVID-19 Response Team has identified 20 hotspots in the Western Areas and 11 health centres that will be used as testing centres. Despite challenges, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education through engagement with key stakeholders and government informed in a press release of schools reopening for all public exams classes. The 11 June release said learning will commence on 1st July 2020.

The National Social Mobilisation Pillar Lead, Alfred Jamiru said they had identified 20 hotspot communities in the Western Area where they will commence random testing and identified 11 health centres that will immediately start community testing aimed at returning semblance of trust in community people in their health facilities. It could be recalled that in a joint press release from the Ministries of Basic and Senior Secondary Education and Tertiary Education, all learning institutions were told to close by 31st March 2020.

Meanwhile, in less than three months the country had recorded a cumulative total of 1,347 confirmed cases including 853 recoveries, 7 new cases and 55 deaths as at Tuesday 23rd June 2020. The National Spokesperson, Solomon Jamiru, said before indicating the reopening of schools the ministry had looked into and contemplated on all scenarios.

“If the Ministry of Education has come out firmly to persuade government and stakeholders that they believe that they will generate the necessary conditions for our students, our pupils to sit to their examinations and that decision does not end up haunting us or jeopardizing the fight against Corona, it is now left with the ministry in the implementation model to consider those in quarantine and inter-district lockdown to take their exams.”

Meanwhile, inter-district lockdown was addressed yesterday 23rd June 2020 when President Julius Maada Bio adjusted and removed them with new measures on the use of facemasks and manifest for all vehicles traveling to and from the provinces.

An unconfirmed report has it that education stakeholders including UNICEF are presently working on the procurement of educational and hygiene materials ahead of the reopening of schools.

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