Staff Reporter
The Free State education department has expressed confidence in its daily screening protocol in schools after 15 learners at Heatherdale Secondary School in Heidedal, Bloemfontein, showed flu-like symptoms and were immediately rushed to hospital for further tests.
Provincial education spokesperson Howard Ndaba told The Free Stater by telephone that the children’s suspicious health conditions were picked during screening before entering school.
“There shouldn’t be any panic at the school because these learners were detected during screening before they could enter the school,” he said.
The learners were taken to the nearby Pelonomi Regional Hospital and other private health facilities to be tested for COVID-19.
They were then put under the care of their families for isolation while they wait for their results.
“At this point we cannot say there is a case of COVID-19 at Heatherdale School,” Ndaba said.
“The learners were taken for testing because they showed flu-like symptoms which can also be found in people infected with the coronavirus.
“This is actually an indication that our standard operating procedures, when we receive learners at schools, are working.
“They are all screened upon arrival at school and their temperatures are also taken before they can enter school grounds.
“We don’t want to turn our schools into places where the coronavirus is spread, hence the strict health protocol.
“We have good systems in place.”
Yesterday, Grey College reported that 19 Grade 12 learners and some staff members had been put in quarantine after a learner at the Bloemfontein school posted positive for COVID-19.
The learner, who lives in Pietermaritzburg and stays in one of the school hostels, is said to have complained of a headache when he woke up on Tuesday morning and also had a bad cough.
Some of the most common symptoms for COVID-19 include fever, dry cough and tiredness.
Serious symptoms can be difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure and loss of speech or movement.
Other people may experience aches and pains, sore throat, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, headache, loss of taste or smell as well as a rash on skin or discolouration of fingers or toes.