The Ministry of Health and Child Care has directed authorities in boarding schools to ensure that learners in isolation must remain in school until they are cleared to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Schools officially closed on Friday last week but COVID-19 positive pupils will only be allowed to go home after they are cleared by health authorities.
Bulawayo Provincial Medical Director, Dr Maphios Siamuchembu confirmed the development. He said:
As schools closed, those children who are in isolation because they have tested positive for COVID-19 remain in their current isolation facilities until the end of their isolation period.
My office regrets any inconvenience caused, but we cannot deliberately allow infected people to go around spreading the virus.
Recently, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education communications and advocacy director, Taungana Ndoro revealed that over 100 schools had recorded COVID-19 cases countrywide.
Some private schools closed before the 17th of December to prevent the spread of COVID-19 following the detection of the highly transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant.