Durban - A second Durban school has had to close after a teacher tested positive for Covid-19. In a letter addressed to parents, Clairwood Secondary School principal Yugan Naidoo, said the school will be closed until further notice.
According to Naidoo, the teacher's results were confirmed at the weekend.
"He (the teacher) was at the school last week during which time he was in contact with staff members. The educator did not report to school yesterday, Monday 8 June. He was never in contact with pupils," Naidoo said.
He said the teacher visited his doctor and received his results on Monday.
"He immediately communicated this information to me. I contacted the Department of Education and received directive to contact the Department of Health. The Department of Health official instructed me to open school today for educators and learners. A team from the Department of Health was deployed to my school, where screening and testing if required was carried out," Naidoo said.
He said that a directive was issued from the Umlazi District, under which his schools falls, to close the school immediately after screening was conducted.
Naidoo said pupils were sent home at 10am on Tuesday and the school will closed until further notice.
Earlier in the day, Apollo Secondary School in Chatsworth was closed after a teacher tested positive for Covid-19.
In a letter to parents, the School Governing Body chairperson, said the teacher was at school last week and did not attend school on Monday, June 8.
"The educator was at school till Thursday, when she fell ill at home in the evening. On reporting to school last week, the educator was mostly confined to the staff room, and admin areas, which is thoroughly sanitised and cleaned on a daily basis. The relevant officials in the departments of Education and Health have been notified," the letter said.
The school promised to keep parents informed of when teaching will resume.
Spokesperson for the Department of Education in KZN, Kwazi Mthethwa, said they have seen reports, however declined to comment on whether the teachers were positive.
"We are guided by the Department of Health. They are the ones who are can confirm cases. We believe they are qualified to declare cases positive or negative," he said.
"We are working with the Department of Health to handle such cases. Safety is our main priority and is a non negotiable. They have a specific protocol which they follow in cases like these. We are satisfied with the manner in which schools have and continue to adhere to precautionary health regulations. Any cases whether confirmed or not confirmed shall be referred to the Department of Health for proper processing," Mthethwa said.
Both schools are situated in the Durban south areas.
On Sunday, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala said based on analysis, a large number of Covid-19 cases and related deaths came from southern and northern sub districts followed by the west sub-district.
As per the latest figures from the Health Ministry, there are 50 879 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in SA with 3175 of those cases coming from KZN.