Africa’s most industrialised state, South Africa will reopen its economy on June 1, after two months of lockdown that deepened a recession and left millions jobless. President Cyril Ramaphosa imposed the lockdown to prevent a COVID-19 epidemic on the kind of scale that has devastated Western nations in which the country has had more than 27,000 confirmed cases but only 577 deaths from COVID-19.
Meanwhile the South African teachers’ unions and governing associations has challenged their staff on Friday to disregard the government order to return to school next week, saying schools across some regions of the country are yet to have personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep educators and pupils safe. Africa-News reports.
.South Africa’s Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said last week that schools would reopen, but only for grades 7 and 12, the last years of primary and secondary school, respectively.
Union has reinstated that schools do not have the protective gear to keep educators and pupils safe when the economy reopens on Monday. Many of South Africa’s government schools are in poor shape, especially in rural areas, and analysts say a quarter of them have no running water – making handwashing nearly impossible.
Meanwhile, Motshekga has urged the teachers’ unions not to obstruct those who want to go back to school.
On Monday, South Africa’s economy will mostly return to full capacity, as it moves to “level three” lockdown, lifting a curfew, a restriction on outdoor exercise and a ban on alcohol sales in addition to partly reopening schools.
South Africa’s state-run Human Rights Commission said on Friday urging the government to reconsider its decision to start opening schools until they are better prepared.