Thursday, December 30, 2021
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH Minister Dr Michael Darville said the resumption of face-to-face learning in public schools has been postponed by at least two weeks as officials grapple with the fourth wave of COVID-19.
The Ministry of Education, Technical and Vocational Training later said all public and private schools, including pre-schools and daycare facilities, may only reopen in January 2022 on a fully virtual basis. The ministry said this decision will be revisited within the next 14 days at which time a further assessment will be conducted in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
The Ministry of Education had planned to open public schools on a hybrid basis next month, allowing students to return to campuses for the first time since the start of the 2021/2022 school year. Education Minister Glenys Hanna Martin has characterised the return to school as essential because thousands of children have not engaged in online learning.
Dr Darville, during a press conference, said the school plans are now being reconsidered as the country deals with yet another surge in COVID-19 cases.
He said the government has “decided to postpone the opening of school for an additional two weeks as the Ministry of Health & Wellness’ epidemiological team assesses data that’s coming in.”
He added: “It is not in our view a good thing to open schools in the middle of a pandemic so we have decided to wait and act with a degree of caution to ensure that when we do open we open so that we can stay open.”
Confirmed cases show the current outbreak of COVID-19 has so far been limited to New Providence. Health officials, however, said the face-to-face reopening of schools in the Family Islands has been postponed as well out of an abundance of caution.
“We’re still collecting data,” Dr Darville said. “We have some data and the whole issue of COVID-19 is very fluid and what we may see today may not be what we will see tomorrow so the collection of epidemiological data is essential to policy making.
“We’ve had discussion with the Ministry of Education, Minister Glenys Hanna Martin, we’ve looked at the fact that one hat doesn’t fit all, but on the degree of caution and the unpredictability of what we are seeing as we collect the data we felt it appropriate to postpone the opening of schools from the present date by two weeks and we will report to the nation as it relates to that.”
Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Philip Swan added: “We are reporting low cases of RT-PCR positive cases on most Family Islands. We have outbreaks of cases every now and again that we track, but as I mentioned earlier there are other parameters that we look at when we determine whether restrictions should apply. From the metrics that we look at that are internal to the Ministry of Health we find that there are some cases or some situations I should say…that warrant us to take a little more caution in opening up the Family Islands fully.”
Comments
OMG says...
Seem to remember the PLP campaigning on several issues one of which was the severe methods used by the FNM to handle the covid crisis. . Oops reality strikes home.
Posted 30 December 2021, 9:13 a.m. Suggest removal
whogothere says...
This is a disgrace - if Atlantis and Bahamar can crowd their restaurantsand bars with tourists how is it that we cannot put children back in Classroom...Disgusting MOE should be ashamed..
Posted 30 December 2021, 9:37 a.m. Suggest removal
DDK says...
They and the entire government would have to care to be ashamed.....
Posted 30 December 2021, 1:11 p.m. Suggest removal
M0J0 says...
So with even daycare shutdown, is there going to be a national 2 weeks shut down, because how can you go to work if you have no one to watch your babies and kids.
Posted 30 December 2021, 10:09 a.m. Suggest removal
JokeyJack says...
The CDC is phasing out the PCR test. Guess they are going to replace it with a new test that provides the higher positivity rate that they crave. Stay tuned. Trust me, a new test will be out VERY soon and the number of "cases" that it reports will be VERY high. There is way too much money being made by the ringleaders of this circus to take down the tent right now. The show must go on.
https://www.health.com/condition/infect…
I've also heard rumors that for any new diseases that emerge in 2022, doctors will also not be allowed to prescribe medication for them, but only offer newly created MRNA injections - multiple with boosters. 7 new diseases with 4 injections like Covid (8 diseases in total, 32 injections). It's the new protocol. No soup for you.
Posted 30 December 2021, 10:13 a.m. Suggest removal
TalRussell says...
With continued closure UK Colony's government operated schools, tis opportune time for Education Minister Glenys Hanna Martin to think over how best to permanently and completely, shuttin' out all need for students physical classrooms attendance and everything else like this and that by flippin' over colonial classrooms to novel educating ways,, ― Yes?
Posted 30 December 2021, 10:47 a.m. Suggest removal
bahamianson says...
Who is the compotent authority in the plp? The plp is doing the same things the fnm did in response to covid. Where is the out cry?
Posted 30 December 2021, 1:43 p.m. Suggest removal
TalRussell says...
@ComrradeUKColony son, youse is telling a story as to who exactly are those arse that are supposedly in-charge and how are members from de PopoulacesCommoners, even to recognize what a competent in authority is supposed to look like, ― Yes?
Posted 30 December 2021, 2 p.m. Suggest removal
sheeprunner12 says...
TalRussell, the CA is Dr Darville ...... Who can't call the numbers right. You can't make this up, ..... Yes???
Posted 30 December 2021, 2:53 p.m. Suggest removal
sheeprunner12 says...
The new CA says that it's not good to open school in "the middle of a pandemic" ........ So, we have two more years of this craziness to endure???? ....... Say it ain't so.
Posted 30 December 2021, 2:56 p.m. Suggest removal
ohdrap4 says...
The teacher's cabal would be clamoring for schools to be closed.
They want to continue to be paid for doing nothing.
I saud right here that those who ca afford private school should have arranged home schooling early in 2021.
As to the LMS , the minstry has gone through several of them untill the costs become staggering.
Posted 30 December 2021, 3:16 p.m. Suggest removal
TalRussell says...
**A terribly, horrible educatin' minister that one turned out be!**
De Guardian's De Revolution Talkie Comrade Juan McCartney's, education minister **for all administrations ranked since way back Pop Symonette,** is Jeffery Lloyd and everything else like this and that means not more say about how his Hero, Jeffery, had done finished with trashin' de lil chillrens', learnin'...That was even before Covid, had reached into UK Colony's classrooms, ― Yes?
Posted 30 December 2021, 3:54 p.m. Suggest removal
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