HOSTELS MIGHT BECOME COVID-19 QUARANTINES

MBABANE – If push comes to shove with regard to the coronavirus outbreak in the country, boarding schools will be used as quarantine centres.

This was revealed by Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi, who stated that the country should not shy away from a possibility of seeking extra quarantine centres as the figures kept surging in the new coronavirus confirmed cases.

Eswatini currently has four confirmed cases and samples of suspected cases amassed on a daily basis are still transferred to South Africa for testing.

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Nkosi said for now, it was less likely that the country would utilise the boarding schools as quarantine centres but when it came to that, they would explore that option.
“It is less likely that we would get to that point but it remains an option if the situation worsens,” she said.

Quarantine is the separation of a person or group of people reasonably believed to have been exposed to a communicable disease but not yet symptomatic, from others who have not been so exposed, to prevent the possible spread of the communicable disease.

It is different from isolation, which is the separation of a person or group of people known or reasonably believed to be infected with a communicable disease and potentially infectious from those who are not infected to prevent the spread of the communicable disease.

decontaminated

Nkosi said to ensure safety of pupils when they returned to school if their facility had been used as a quarantine centre, the facility would be decontaminated properly.
However, teachers are not for the idea that boarding schools should be used as quarantine centres but said instead government hotels should be used for the same purpose.

This was a submission made by Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General Sikelela Dlamini.
“We would suggest that they use government hotels for that. Pigg’s Peak Hotel can be ideal. Other countries are using hotels. Boarding schools are not properly capacitated to handle such,” he said.
Boarding schools in the country include St Michael’s, St Mark’s and Evelyn Baring among others.

Assurance

Cynthia Hlatjwako, whose child is enrolled at one of the boarding schools in the country, said as a parent, there was no level of assurance they could get from government that their children would be safe even if the facilities were decontaminated.

Meanwhile, Nkosi was quizzed on why the ministry was not specific on the location of the persons who have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Her response was that they were still mapping the concentration of the virus and when they had done that, they would then inform the nation on the locations of the infected people.
The same is done in South Africa as the Health Ministry states, at least, the province of every person who has tested positive for the coronavirus.

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