No fewer than 17 primary and secondary schools in Mozambique have been ordered to close down for breaching coronavirus (Covid-19) protocools.
The National Inspectorate of Economic Activities spokesperson, Tomás Timba, said the schools had failed in cleanliness, lacked thermometers and students were not learning in shifts as required.
The closure comes hours after the United Nations Children’s Fund’s press officer, Christine Kahmann, pleaded that schools around the world should remain open despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Kahmann said the world was in the grips of a “global learning crisis” due to the forced closure of schools.
“The closure of schools worldwide has led to a global learning crisis and the repercussions could be felt in many countries and societies for decades to come,” Kahmann said. “The consequences on children’s learning and well-being are devastating, and especially the most vulnerable and marginalized children are most affected, fueling inequalities and reversing the important progress that has been made in recent decades.”
“Another important factor is that the longer children remain out of school and miss out on learning, the less likely they are to return. And this will have lifelong consequences,” she added.
Meanwhile, Mozambique officials also inspected some 216 commercial establishments and 17 of them found to be non-compliant.
Some restaurants and bars were found to have more than the required number of customers, some opened outside the recommended time and others lacked hygiene.
The inspectorate will continue with the health spot checks especially during the December holidays to ensure compliance with measures aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus.