School Sporting Activities Remain Suspended

GOVERNMENT has said sporting activities in schools remain on hold in the coming few weeks due to a possible surge in Covid-19 cases associated with winter. 

In her post-Cabinet briefing yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa also said members of the public should get vaccinated ahead of the winter season, as the second phase of the national vaccination programme is underway. 

She said all provinces will now ramp up vaccination under the Phase II Vaccination Blitz Campaign Programme by working closely with community leaders. 

“While the country is doing well in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Cabinet, nonetheless, calls upon citizens to remain vigilant and strictly observe the national and World Health Organisation (WHO) Covid-19 protocols, and the relevant regulations will continue to be strictly enforced,” she said. 

“Furthermore, there is a need to closely monitor the situation in schools for the coming few weeks before allowing the resumption of sporting activities in the institutions, given that the re-opening of schools and onset of winter is usually associated with increased cases of Covid-19.”

The Minister said as of Monday, the country’s Covid-19 cases stood at 248 531, with 242 118 recoveries and 5 479 deaths. The recovery rate was 98 percent, with 785 active cases having been reported. 

She said the number of new Covid-19 cases continued to decrease, with 361 cases having been recorded, compared to the 437 recorded the previous week, marking a 17 percent decline. 

“While the country is doing well in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Cabinet, nonetheless, calls upon citizens to remain vigilant and strictly observe the national and World Health Organisation (WHO) Covid-19 protocols, and the relevant regulations will continue to be strictly enforced,” she added. Chronicle