The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 issued fresh guidelines for the reopening of schools nationwide.
According to the new guidelines, “Schools and educational bodies that plan to reopen must have detailed communication protocols that include parents, school health teams, school authorities and local state officials.”
The PTF had about a fortnight ago okayed schools’ resumption as from October 12.
The National Coordinator of the taskforce, Dr Sani Aliyu, told journalists at the Thursday’s briefing in Abuja, that the fresh guidelines were developed by the PTF working with the Federal Ministry of Education and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
According to Aliyu, “They must also have a system for providing regular updates for parents, staff and relevant authorities, as well as communicate changes to procedures effectively.
“Specifically, school authorities have the responsibilities to ensure that everyone gaining access to their schools is screened properly.
“Boarding schools must have identified areas for screening and putting positive students aside.
“There must be appropriate waste management systems.
“Health facilities that are within the schools that serve the schools should have the ability to cater for an outbreak and a response protocol must be in place for these schools for students who test positive.”
On the the on the Ondo governorship election billed for this Saturday, the PTF said that the Independent National Electoral Commission would enforce no-face-mask-no-voting directive.
Ondo State has 1.5 million eligible voters in 3,000 polling units across 18 local government areas of the state.
The PTF coordinator believes the election “is clearly a huge exercise” which would also come with its risk.
The chairman of the PTF and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, also announced the assassination of a laboratory expert with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Uche Njoku.
Mustapha said, “On a very sad note, we have received report of the untimely death of Uche Njoku, a laboratory expert with the NCDC, who was shot while on official trip by gunmen.
“The PTF commiserate with his family and all frontline workers on this painful loss. We also wish the other workers in the vehicle that were injured a quick recovery. This incident underscores the danger that frontline workers face in the course of fighting this virus on our behalf.”
