Testing of learners for Covid-19 before returning to school is not mandatory, according to Dr. Henry Mwebesa, the director-general of health services.
In January 6 letter to the education ministry permanent secretary, Mwebesa noted that he had received information that some schools are directing students to do Covid tests before reporting to schools and some schools have pre-positioned private laboratories to test students on arrival at the cost of students.
According to him, the Covid-19 National Task Force did not include this among the conditions for re-opening schools.
He says there were only three guidelines that were recommended as shown below:
1. Putting in place a system for strict compliance to COVID19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in every school.
2. Establishing a system for monitoring and isolating symptomatic cases in every school and reporting to the nearest health facility. Following this, if it is found necessary to test all learners in a school because of soaring numbers, MoH undertakes to do so; not the private laboratories.
3. In all schools, the staff and parents shall work closely with the communities and nearby health facilities to address COVID19 issues in the school.
Mwebesa told the permanent secretary thus: "The purpose of this letter, therefore, is to request you to instruct all school administrations to desist from demanding that learners do COVID 19 tests prior to arrival in schools or on arrival."
