Staff reporter

…as parents applaud President ED for people centered decisions

Parents of school going children have commended President ED Mnangagwa for his decision to delay the re-opening of schools by two weeks, while Government assesses the situation until it is safe for children to go back to school.

In his statement President Mnangagwa made it clear that the Omicron variant is on the rise and pushing the children to school under the circumstances was not feasible under the circumstances.

“The somber statistics translate to an average  1 483 new cases of infection, and 20 deaths each day.  The last three days alone were especially dire, with some 2000 new infection cases, and 30 deaths recorded daily.  Clearly our Nation is in the grip of an Omicron variant induced fourth wave.

“With the exception of Examination Classes which resume classes as announced by the responsible Ministry, the general school calendar is hereby delayed until further notice,” said President Mnangagwa.

Speaking to this publication, Gladys Mukondiwa praised President Mnangagwa for his people centered decisions.

“The position taken by the President shows he is also a parent, who has the children’s best interests at heart.  We have seen the speed at which this COVID19 Omicron variant is spreading; being reckless would only expose our children to the deadly variant.

“Last year we heard about the 120 students who were under quarantine at one Girls School in Macheke, those students almost missed Christmas with their families,” said Mukondiwa.

Meanwhile, the Omicron variant is causing havoc throughout the globe, with countries such as the United States cancelling over 3000 flights and insisting on mandating vaccines for domestic flights. Israel reported its highest number of cases since September, while France reported more than 200 000 cases for a second day in a row and India, witnessed a spike in Covid19 infections prompting its government to tighten restrictions.

President Mnangagwa has encouraged those yet to be vaccinated to ensure they get vaccinated without delay, and for everyone to continue observing the WHO regulations of washing hands under running water, sanitizing, social distancing, avoiding crowds and wearing of face masks.