Nuusita Ashipala
ONGWEDIVA – Five teachers at the Ongha Secondary School in the Ohangwena region are amongst the nine people reported to have contracted Covid-19 at Engela district hospital last weekend. Ohangwena education director Isak Hamatwi said the five brings the total of teachers who have contracted Covid-19 in the region to seven. According to Hamatwi a teacher at Ohakafiya and another at Ponhofi had also earlier contracted the virus.
Hamatwi said, as is the norm, the school would be taken over by the ministry of health to undertake the required precautions needed to curb the further spread of the virus at the school. The process usually involves contact tracing and disinfecting the school. Although the teachers are on a one-week break between Monday and Friday, Hamatwi said the grade 11 and 12 learners are still at school.
“The situation is under control. I am at the school to talk to the learners and we are just waiting for the ministry of health to come and do an assessment,” said Hamatwi.
Ohangwena recorded 13 cases and one death between Friday and Monday. The ministry of health on Saturday announced that Ohangwena rose from two to 10 cases in just 24 hours.
The region on Saturday also recorded its first Covid 19 death. The 49-year-old female initially visited a private facility at Eenhana on 18 August 2020 and was later referred to a public health facility on 19 August 2020, where her condition is reported to have deteriorated. She died a day later; she was buried at Omhito cemetery at Eenhana over the weekend. The victim is said to have presented symptoms consistent with Covid-19.
A concerned parent expressed that while the learners are being remanded at schools to protect them against possible exposure to contracting the virus, they continue to have access to outsiders through the fence. The parent expressed that at a school in Ondangwa, learners buy food items through the fence.
“I don’t know whether the situation is difficult to control, but there is a need to strengthen measures at school to ensure zero contact with the outside world,” said the concerned parent.
– nashipala@nepc.com.na