While schools and institutions of higher learning are expected to close this week as the part of government’s measures to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19 infections in the third wave, early childhood development centres will remain open.

This was confirmed by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in the Government Gazette published on Monday.

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday announced that Cabinet had decided to place the country under Adjusted Alert Level 4 for two weeks amid a recent surge in infections.

From 30 June, schools and institutions of higher education will be closed for contact classes, state the regulations.

“The Cabinet member responsible for basic education may by direction contemplated in regulation 4(3), determine the dates on which schools, as defined in the South African Schools Ac, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996), will be reopened and any matter related to the management of schools in the basic education sector, to address, prevent and combat the spread of COVID-19 in all schools.”

Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande is expected to determine the same in the sector.

Source: South African Government News Agency