NCDC Makes U-Turn, Backs Reopening Of Schools

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has finally taken a stand on the issues of school resumption and made clarification.

In a complete reversal that will shock many Nigerians given the fact that educational centres were not allowed to resume for many months in 2020, NCDC has now declared that there are benefits if schools across the country resume.

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According to the health agency the benefits of having children in school outweighs the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

NCDC post on twitter said the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) says the benefits of having children in school outweighs the risk of COVID-19 transmission in a new revelation.

Adding: “You can see why some decisions around school reopening are so difficult to make by the government; how do you balance the need to control this pandemic versus the other requirements children need to live healthy and productive?

“This pandemic is threatening efforts to prevent major causes of child morbidity and mortality, and threatening the small gains we have made over many years in a very difficult context that is ours.

“I, personally, still support the decision of the Federal Government to reopen schools and try as best as we can to mitigate the risks, at least for now.

“If things get out of hand, we may and we will consider this condition but we all understand that the lockdown had a huge impact on children.”

Speaking during a media briefing on Tuesday, January 19, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 through its chairman Bosss Mustapha lamented low compliance to the safety protocols by Nigerians.

Mustapha said since schools resumed on Monday, January 18, there has been a clear disregard for the federal government’s directives on the deadly virus.

Speaking at the media briefing of the PTF on COVID-19, on Monday, January 18, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, said the federal government did not agree with the states on the resumption date.