Kenyan schools reopen amid concern over COVID-19 outbreaks

Kenya began the gradual reopening of basic learning institutions on Monday amid concerns about an increase in COVID-19 infections.

George Magoha, cabinet secretary at the Ministry of Education, said the government has implemented robust mitigation measures to ensure that reopening of schools does not lead to such an increase.

“We are confident that the resumption of in-person learning will continue smoothly and urge school administrators to ensure that students and teachers comply with anti-COVID-19 containment measures,” Magoha said at a briefing in Nairobi.

The Education Ministry said last week that schools will open their doors to roughly 3 million fourth-grade, primary and secondary finalists on October 12, after more than seven months of closure aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

Magoha said primary and secondary schools must adhere to health ministry guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus before resuming in-person learning.

“Schools should have a sanitation booth and heat guns at the entrance to capture and record the temperatures of students and teaching staff,” he said. “All classrooms and dining rooms should be readjusted to facilitate social distancing.”

School administrators should compile a list of students with pre-existing conditions whose risks of succumbing to COVID-19 are greatest, he said.

Magoha said the success of face-to-face learning for the fourth grade elementary and middle school finalists will inform the decision to withdraw nearly 20 million students attending the country’s basic learning institutions.

“We will make a decision in due course on when to readmit all students,” he said.

“The next two to three weeks will be critical in determining whether in-person learning can be carried out safely, as the country has yet to overcome the COVID-19 crisis,” he said.

The government will try to ensure that disadvantaged students receive masks, clean water and detergents, Magoha said.

Kenya, East Africa’s largest economy, has seen a surge in the COVID-19 positivity rate in recent days amid concerns that the reopening of entertainment venues and non-adherence to guidelines Public health policies by some are fueling new infections.