Cape Town - Kensington Home for the Aged said with the reopening of schools, care workers with children could be at risk of contracting Covid-19, thus placing the elderly in their care at risk too.
This follows after a circular had been sent from Kensington High School to parents informing them that an educator had died due to the virus on Friday.
Another two educators had tested positive for Covid-19, and one is currently self-isolating.
In an update, Kensington High confirmed it now has three positive cases.
“While not much consideration has been given to the elderly in care facilities when the decision was made to reopen schools, we are
facing a serious threat with children of our staff interacting with teachers that have tested positive,” said the Kensington Home for the Aged's general manager Leon Courie.
“We are currently one of a very few old age homes that have not been infected yet, but fear that it will be a matter of time now if the Education Department pursues their plans.”
At present, the home has 95 residents and as many as 55 staff members.
Courie added: “We have staff reporting that teachers at the schools that their children attend tested positive, and that some of the staff interacted with teachers when they collected homework for the children.
“We have sent quite a few staff members home to isolate, and this is putting a huge strain on our ability to care for our residents, as well as financially because we need to find replacement staff.”
The school had been decontaminated on Monday as per instructions by the Western Cape Education Department.
The school was closed for a further two days and reopened on Wednesday.
Departmental spokesperson Bronagh Hammond confirmed that the school was closed on Monday and Tuesday following decontamination.
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