Deputy Health Minister Dr. Bernard Oko-Boye says schools will only be closed down if COVID-19 cases go beyond 15%.
This comes as pressure has been mounted on the government to close down schools due to some reported cases of COVID-19.
Dr Oko-Boye speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen said government has plans in place but will only consider closing a school when the infection rate goes up.
“If you have 500 students in a school and 35 test positive that is only 7% of the number. We as a government there are two things that we will consider to close down a particular school. Either making them go home and write their WASCCE from there if you have about 14% to 15% infection rate that is alarming and can be considered and the second one which is the most important category is when morbidity is more than half of the number of students”
There are calls by the National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations of Ghana for the government to close down schools over some reported cases of COVID-19 some senior high schools.
The association in a statement on Monday, July 13, 2020, called for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) to be postponed following the outbreak of COVID-19 in schools.
According to the association, the call is “to avert further spread of the coronavirus among our children and staff.”
In a related development, the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) say it has put measures in place measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 at the Accra Girls Senior High School.
This was after 55 people including students at the Accra Girls’ Senior High School have tested positive for COVID-19.
According to a joint statement by the Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Education Service (GES), 55 people tested positive out of 314 total tests done.
