The Zimbabwean government has refused to bow down to pressure from education stakeholders to close all schools across the country after several schools were put under lockdown due to a high number of pupils testing positive for coronavirus.
The leader of government business in Parliament Ziyambi Ziyambi on Wednesday told Parliamentarians that there is a need to accept the new normal saying COVID-19 outbreaks at schools will be looked at on a case-by-case basis. Said Ziyambi:
What we have decided as the government is that we have to adapt and live in the new normal. What we cannot do is, if a school in Chinhoyi has an outbreak of COVID-19, we then close a school in Mutare.
We look at it case-by-case and say we have had cases here, what we do to ensure the safety of the learners as well as to ensure that learners continue learning. We have realised that we can literally have a 365-day lockdown.
This comes after coronavirus cases at schools have surged, with John Tallach in Matabeleland North recording 189, Chinhoyi High School in Mashonaland West has recorded 57 cases and Matopo High School in Matabeleland South has 10 positive cases.
Some of the schools have been quarantined to curb the spread of the virus.