Cape Town - As parents mull the ramifications of sending their children back to school while South Africa's death toll continues to climb steadily and infections increase at a staggering rate, schools are getting ready to deal with their new "normal" when classes resume for Grades 7 and 12 in June.
Earlier this week Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced a raft of safety measures that schools must have in place before classes resume.
At one Cape Town school, preparations are nearly complete and on Monday, when teachers return for the first time since the start of the lockdown, they will be asked to line up in alphabetical order to be processed before being allowed into the school buildings.
Tracey Magson, a senior teacher at The Settlers High School in Bellville, explained the preparations which have been made, as per the Department of Basic Education's requirements, to welcome back pupils.
Senior teacher Tracey Magson explains the measures which The Settlers High School has put in place to try and safeguard pupils from the spread of the coronavirus. Video: Courtney Africa/African News Agency (ANA)
The school has prepared PPE packs for pupils, who will go through a screening and sanitising process before being allowed to enter their classrooms. Pupils will be expected to maintain physical distances of 1.5 metres and each Grade 12 class has been assigned to one corridor at the school to minimize contact.
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