South Africans were left in shock and disbelief when President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement on Sunday evening that covid-19 would be declared a national disaster.
But for parents, the penny dropped when Ramaphosa said that all schools would be closed from Wednesday, March 18, and won’t open until after the Easter holidays.
For most parents and caregivers, it poses some serious questions. Who will look after my children while I'm at work? What do I do with them in the meantime?
The Easter school holidays were officially set to start March 20. Now that the coronavirus pandemic has taken hold, children will only be allowed back at school from April 13 - that's almost a month of having to keep the little ones entertained and paying for extra childcare for those who can't afford to stay at home.
Understandably, parent Twitter was not having it, with some coming up with other suggestions of their own.
Can't the teachers be quarantined at schools with the kids? We'll play extra for fees and other incidentals
— BabesWePetitions (@Neli_Ngqulana) March 15, 2020
I don't mind being indoors. I'm quite happy to be. But to be stuck indoors with 2 teens and a wild 6yo. pic.twitter.com/JPNEjoye6P
— (GZC) (@GerryCupido) March 15, 2020
Working from home when your children’s school gets cancelled.https://t.co/f6Ona75Qh6
— Daniel Peter (@danieljpeter) March 13, 2020
— Scaredy ΚατPeach (@unravelingfire) March 13, 2020
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/Coronavirussouthafrica?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Coronavirussouthafrica pic.twitter.com/cHu5EyCHgX
— hlobilemndaba (@hlobilemndaba7)
If you're a parent, how will you be dealing with the longer-than usual school holiday? Tweet us your suggestions to @IOL_Lifestyle