NKURENKURU – Given the rising Covid-19 cases in the two Kavango regions, education authorities have converted hostels and school halls into isolation facilities as more learners at boarding schools contract coronavirus. 

Three schools in Kavango West have Covid-19 cases, while five schools in Kavango East have also recorded cases. Learning, however, continues at the schools, except for Dr Romanus Kampungu Secondary School in Kavango East where classes have been suspended. 
Learners who have tested positive have been isolated in the schools’ hostels. In Kavango West, Covid-19 cases have been reported at Himarwa Ithete, Kandjimi Murangi and Leevi Hakusembe secondary schools. Regional council spokesperson Salomo Tenga said schools are not sending learners who are mainly hostel borders home in order to curb the further possible spread of the virus in the local communities. 

“Currently, the region is struggling to handle the situation at schools, so if we allow learners to go home, we are most likely to be affected more and it will not be easy once it is in the community,” Tenga said. “We identified two school halls that we are currently turning into facilities to isolate learners who are testing positive. 

A decision was taken to use N$1 million from the N$9 million that was given to the regional council for the expansion of hostels to urgently renovate and equip these two halls to serve as isolation facilities as we see the numbers of learners testing positive is increasing.” 
Female learners who will test positive at Kavango West school hostels will be isolated at Kandjimi Murangi Secondary School while the male learners will be moved to Leevi Hakusembe. 

“Those who are in confined areas like hostel boarders, or those in correctional facilities and so on need to identify areas to isolate these people in the event of some positive cases but when the person that tested positive is not sick they have to isolate them there. 
Our isolation facility in Nkurenkuru will receive those who need hospitalisation,” said the health director in charge of the two Kavango regions Timeya Ngwira in a recent interview. In Kavango East, Max Makushe, Martin Ndumba, Dr Romanus Kampungu secondary schools as well as Livayi and Ndama combined schools are some of the schools with positive cases. 

“We have not suspended classes except for Dr Romanus Kampungu where the situation was worse,” said the Kavango East education director Fanuel Kapapero.
-jmuyamba@nepc.com.na