South African government has decided to shut down public schools once again for a month from Monday to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus as the country faces a spike in the number of infections, reported Al Jazeera.
During an address to the nation on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that public schools will remain closed rom July 27 until August 24, in a bid to contain the worsening coronavirus pandemic.
“Cabinet has decided today that all public schools should take a break for the next four weeks,” Ramaphosa said.
The South African president added that the academic year that is due to end in December would be extended. Notably, rapid increase in the number of coronavirus cases has caused concern among teaching staff, with unions calling on the government to revoke its decision to reopen schools for certain grades in June.
“We have taken a deliberately cautious approach to keep schools closed during a period when the country is expected to experience its greatest increase in infections,” Ramaphosa said.
The South African president also announced a 500 billion rand ($30bn) social relief and economic support package to fund the health response and assist “those in greatest need”.
South Africa has recorded 408,052 coronavirus cases so far, the fifth-highest in the world, and over 6,000 people have died from the virus. The country accounts for almost half of all Africa’s coronavirus cases.
According to the African Development Bank, Africa’s most industrialised economy is expected to contract by between 6.3 and 7.5 percent due to the coronavirus pandemic.
in related news, a new study conducted by a respected national research body claims that South Africa has recorded nearly 60% more natural deaths than expected in recent weeks, suggesting a much higher coronavirus-related death toll than officially reported.
According to the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), there had been 17,000 excess deaths in South Africa between the first week of May and mid-July.
