Education Department: 775 Schools Affected By COVID-19

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) on Tuesday said 775 schools in the country were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DBE confirmed that 1,169 teachers had contracted the virus, the majority of them in the Western Cape, which accounted for half of the country’s infections.

It said 523 children had tested positive since schools reopened earlier this month.

“We can see that in terms of the number of learners, the Eastern Cape is quite high followed by the Western Cape. In terms of the number of staff members, the Western Cape is high due to community infections being quite high in the province followed by the Eastern Cape,” said DBE director general Mathanzima Mweli.

In the Eastern Cape, 270 pupils contracted the virus while more than 500 Western Cape staff members had tested positive.

EWN