Health CS Mutahi Kagwe on Monday, November 16, gave a new directive that is likely to affect the planned reopening of schools following the death of a Form 4 student at Lureko Secondary School in Mumias West Constituency.
Speaking during a press briefing, the CS directed that going forward, any school with a reported case of Covid-19 would be closed for 2 weeks.
"We have been informed about a learner who died from the virus. We are still collecting more information. Any school that reports cases will be shut for two weeks. We will not open schools just because we have to. We will be guided by the situation," he stated.
He went on to share the latest Covid-19 statistics which included 18 deaths, bringing the total tally of lives lost to 1.287.
Schools across the country have been recording Covid-19 positive cases, leading parents to question the reasoning behind the partial reopening of schools.
In one instance, 52 candidates at Kolanya Boys High School in Busia County tested positive for the virus.
CS Kagwe's new directive came on the same day his Education counterpart George Magoha, announced the scheduled date for the reopening of schools for all students.
The Education CS argued that the plan to recall all learners back to school was anchored on the fact that keeping them at home any longer would harm their well-being, resulting in long-lasting effects on their lives in the future.
However, concerns over the preparedness of schools and adherence to Covid-19 prevention measures still abound.
Schools began to reopen for in-person teaching on October 12. with Form 4, Class 8 and Grade 4 learners reporting back first.
The candidates’ return was to allow learners ample to prepare for the national exams that are set to be conducted between April and June of 2021.
Teachers were also directed to report back to school earlier to prepare for the safe return of students in the examination classes.
The three classes account for about 2.8 million learners.
