On Tuesday the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, expressed his state’s readiness to reopen schools.
Gov. Diri said his government has put in place measures to check the spread of COVID-19 among students in exit classes billed to resume on Wednesday, NAN reports.
He spoke at the ‘Safe School Reopening Train-the-Trainer’ programme in Yenagoa, the state capital.
According to Diri, “The government has provided 10,000 face masks, temperature scanners, soap and water for all public and private schools in the state.”
The governor also inaugurated a 10-member Safe Schools Reopening Committee headed by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Peter Akpe, to monitor implementation of the safety protocols across the state.
Speaking, Diri urged the committee to ensure compliance with the safety protocols to curb infection.
He noted that Bayelsa had 339 COVID-19 cases at the moment.
Diri also noted that Rivers had 1,842 cases and Delta 1,520, saying that state was listed the 23rd out of 36 states in infection rate.
He attributed the low infection rate in the state to strict enforcement of the COVID-19 protocols and the commitment of healthcare professionals.
“Our commitment to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, which has ravaged the entire globe, is total.
“Out of the responsibility for the health of our dear children, we decided to close schools on March 26 even before we recorded the index case in Bayelsa, on April 27, 2020.
“I commend the efforts of our healthcare professionals who I describe as generals in the battlefield.
“With the steps we have taken, teachers have joined in the frontlines of the battle against the pandemic.
“We seek the cooperation of parents, teachers and other stakeholders to prevent teacher-to-student transmission of the virus and vice versa,” Diri said.
