COVID-19: 45,298 students show symptoms, 1,251 isolated

-

 STAR SOURCE TV NEWS UPDATES

21 Jan, 2022, Friday



The Ministry of Education and Sports on Wednesday released the COVID-19 school surveillance report indicating that 45,298 students had shown symptoms while 1,251 learners had been isolated in schools.

775 schools reported suspected cases to the ministries of education and health that promptly sent teams that screened 470,910 individuals.The report was released nine days after schools across the country opened following almost two years of no physical classes due to the closure of education institutions in June 2020.

The government said the closure was one of the interventions to curb the spread of COVID-19 following the resurgence of the Delta variant.

On January 6, 2022, the Ministry of Health in a letter to the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education halted the requirement for learners to undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing before accessing school premises.

At around the same time, there was a surge in COVID-19 cases registered in the country, prompting school owners to ask parents to ensure that learners appear with negative PCR test results taken at least 72 hours before the reporting day.

Other managers informed parents that the test would be carried out by pre-positioned private laboratories upon arrival, prompting a public outcry.

The demands prompted the director-general of health services Dr Henry Mwebesa to write to the education ministry calling for directives asking schools to halt the requirement of tests, saying this was not part of the national school reopening requirements put in place by the national COVID-19 task force.

“The national COVID-19 task force guidelines for reopening of schools, jointly developed by the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Ministry of Health, provides specific guidance on how learners will safely return to schools. Testing learners on arrival was not one of the recommendations,” Mwebesa noted.

Mwebesa noted that schools were required to put in place a system for strict compliance to COVID-19 standard operating procedures and strengthening surveillance systems.

Ismael Mulindwa, the director of basic education, said any school that will insist on forcing tests on students would be penalised.

Location: Uganda

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Man shot by police in Kagadi dismisses allegations of cutting police officer

-
Image
  Kagadi Katusabe Isah a resident of Karuswiga west cell in Karuswiga Muhoro town council Kagadi district who was on Monday shot by police for allegedly resisting the arrest has dismissed the allegations that he didn't cut a  police officer. Katushabe was shot in the leg and arm by a police officer identified as John Kakande attached to Muhoro Police station. It's alleged that, The police wanted to arrest him on charges of domestic violence after his wife Rose Karungi opened a case against him.   The victim Katusabe who is nursing wounds at Buhinga hospital narrates that, he was carrying a panga on his way to the garden for causal work when the police officers intercepted him. He said the officers starting shooting at him even before identifying them.     On 15th March 2023 our reporter visited Katushabe at Buhinga hospital in fortpotal found his lover Karungi taking Care of him. The wife Karungi has condemned the Police’s act of shooting her husband sayin
Read more

Serere by-elections: NRM promises late Okabe’s son a job

-
Image
    STAR SOURCE TV UPDATES Serere by-elections: NRM promises late Okabe’s son a job Top wigs of the ruling NRM, who have pitched camp in Teso to campaign for their party candidate ahead of next week’s Serere County by-elections, have said they will offer the late Patrick Okabe’s son a job should he lose the election. This came after NRM fronted Mr Phillip Oucor as their preferred choice. Okabe’s son, Mr Emmanuel Omoding, is running as an independent candidate but NRM-leaning. Hospital staff, patients raise money for drugs BUIKWE DISTRICT Following the government’s delay to deliver drugs to Kawolo General Hospital in Buikwe District, medical staff and patients at the facility have resolved to contribute money to buy drugs to save lives of desperate patients, mainly children. The humanitarian initiative comes after National Medical Stores (NMS) failed to deliver medical supplies to the hospital last Friday as promised. The facility handles patients from as far as the districts of Buvum
Read more

WWF, NFA partner with community to conserve environment

-
Image
  WWF, NFA partner with community to conserve environment   By Moses Kyaiswa Kagadi The National Forestry Authority (NFA) with support from the ‘’Jane Good All Institute and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Uganda are engaging the community in an ambitious cover restoration drive of the heavily degraded Kagombe and Bugoma Forest Reserves in one of the Uganda’s most fragile and Biodiversity-rich areas. The Bugoma-Kagome landscape also covers five districts including Kagadi, Kikuube, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo and Kibaale. The forest reserves have been degraded for agricultural land use, illegal timber logging, charcoal burning and human settlement. Degraded Kakombe forest Last year, the National Forestry Authority (NFA) with support from the ‘’Jane Good All Institute” agreed with community members to jointly conserve and protect Kangombe central forest reserve in meeting presided over by the Board Chairperson NFA, Dr. Eng Christopher Ebal. Similarly the ambitious 20-year-proj
Read more