No further Covid-19 cases reported at Delta hostel

Edication minister Sanet Steenkamp has said no further Covid-19 cases have been reported at Delta Primary School hostel in Windhoek.

This follows a positive case involving a hostel caretaker.

Steenkamp told The Namibian on Tuesday that the caretaker who tested positive is recovering well, while the ministry continues to follow its established procedures for managing Covid-19 cases at schools.

“The standard operating procedures are the very same. The first thing that has to be done is to report it and to do a separation of all the children, which we’ve done immediately,” she said.

Steenkamp said the ministry’s standard operating procedures have not changed.

The positive case was reported last week, prompting the temporary closure of the hostel and intervention by health officials. The school subsequently informed parents and guardians that hostel staff and pupils would be screened and tested, while the school premises were scheduled for disinfection.

She said the school’s current break means pupils are no longer at the school, with only teachers remaining, and that the primary school will be disinfected.

According to Steenkamp, pupils are expected to remain away from the school until 7 September.

“No children should still be at the school. So the risk is very low,” she said.

Steenkamp acknowledged that parents may be concerned following the reported case but that the safety measures developed during the Covid-19 pandemic remain in place.

“I can understand that the parents are panicking, but the standard operating procedures that we crafted during the Covid-19 time are still in place,” she said.

She confirmed that no additional cases had been reported when contacted by The Namibian.

Health ministry spokesperson Walters Kamaya says the ministry is preparing a statement regarding Covid-19 cases.

“The ministry is working on a press statement that is to be released regarding the Covid-19 cases and the press statement will be released soon,” Kamaya says.