COVID and reopening school in January

We find ourselves once again threatened by a resurgence of the coronavirus, possibly in a new and more easily transmitted form. It is quite clear that South Africa is into the fourth wave of coronavirus infections, probably exacerbated by the new Omicron variant. It seems also that the fourth wave has begun here in Zambia and it seems likely that case numbers rise rapidly in the next few weeks. Our board COVID Task Force (CTF) has been meeting and will continue to meet to assess the situation and to see how best to proceed. We are part of the national effort to control the virus and will continue to work in full cooperation with government directives.

The CTF has decided as a precaution that we will begin our second semester in January with nine days of home-based learning (HBL), from January 11th to January 21st. We have significant numbers of families and teachers traveling out of the country, so a period of HBL allows any infections to run their course without the risk of spreading them at school. We understand that this is inconvenient for all of us, but we must balance this against our responsibility to protect ourselves, our community, and the country.

Throughout this crisis - two years now - we have managed to educate our children and keep our people safe. We have done this by working together and acting responsibly in the common interest. We do need to remind you all that HBL is intended to control the virus, not as an opportunity to extend our holidays, however tempting that may be. Please come back to Zambia on the proper date and use the period of HBL to support our efforts to control the virus. If you are unable to return to Zambia promptly, please ensure that you make adequate efforts to self-isolate for a period of ten days before presenting physically at school. We trust that association members will continue to act responsibly to keep our families, our staff, and our community free from harm.

I am grateful for the support I have received as a head during this testing time and know that I can count on it going forward. Please leave a comment on this post if you are able to share your thoughts.