The Federal Government has okayed the reopening of schools at all levels as the nation goes into the next phase of the Coronavirus Disease.
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, disclosed this on Thursday during the body’s briefing.
The briefing came after the PTF submitted its Seventh Report to President Muhammadu Buhari, with the Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, saying all the proposals by the team were approved by the President.
Aliyu, who spoke during a briefing at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, said the task force recommended phased return of students to classrooms.
He said: “For educational institutions, which include daycare, primary, secondary and tertiary institutions.
“Educational institutions should begin the process of working towards potentially reopening within this phase.
“However, we strongly recommend that states conduct risk assessment to ensure all schools are at a level of compliance and create a monitoring mechanism to assess, create and monitor this level of preparedness.
“Meanwhile, all daycares and educational institutions are to remain closed to in-classes until this level of risk is assessed.
“And if there will be opening of schools, it must be staged and preferably carried out in phases to ensure that this does not pose a risk to the general public and in particular to vulnerable groups that might end up getting infected by students going back home.”
