As millions of Nigerian primary and secondary students returned to school on Monday after a long vacation, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has urged school owners and directors to take drastic measures in complying with the laid down COVID- 19 safety protocols in order to avoid the resurgence of COVID- 19 in the country.
NCDC gave the directive to school owners, staff, and parents regarding its safety guidelines on how to protect students from COVID -19 and other infectious or communicable diseases, as they return to school and carelessly play around as well as interact with one another.
In a tweet on its verified Twitter handle, the agency mandated all schools to develop a communication plan to inform parents, in the event of a COVID-19 confirmed case.
It tweet stated that all schools must ensure that there is access to running water, soap, hand sanitizers, and other hand washing facilities.
“School authorities should ensure easy access to soap and running water or hand sanitizers for hand hygiene. Encourage your children to wash their hands frequently and report when feeling sick”, it tweet stated.
NCDC also advise parents to always endeavor to inform school and staff about the health conditions of their children such as fever above 100.4°, coughing, chills, muscle pain/body ache, headache, fatigue, sore throat, the new loss of the sense of taste or smell, congestion/runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, and emotional concerns of the children.
The agency also laid more emphasis on the safety precautions for everyone aside from students, even though the symptoms of COVID -19 seem to have subsided.
It stated thus: “Ensure to wear a well-fitting mask, if you are at high risk of getting very sick, consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where you could be exposed.
“Maintain good personal hygiene by washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol and avoid close contact with people.
“Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth frequently, clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces”.
