Mpilo Acting Chief Executive Officer and Clinical Director, Dr Solwayo Ngwenya has said it would be better to keep schools closed even “for years”, if necessary until the coronavirus crisis has been managed.
Dr Ngwenya also said prematurely reopening schools will probably result in mass infections in schools and the children will bring the virus home to the elderly who are more vulnerable.
Speaking in an interview recently with CITE, Dr Ngwenya said:
Ideally, schools should not open when there is this serious crisis, which is bad as coronavirus.
When you open schools you will probably have mass infections and children will bring the infections home where most vulnerable groups are such as grandparents.
The virus is bad towards those who are above 50years, 60 years and so forth.
So literally you are going asking children to go and take this virus from school and bring it home, where it will wipe out the grannies.
Ideally, in this crisis schools should not open. I mean I know people complain but there are situations where people have stayed at home for years without going to school.
If that’s necessary to protect people, is has to be done.