Ebola-- FG Insists On September 22 Resumption For Schools

 

             The Federal government has insisted on the September 22 resumption date for primary and secondary schools in the country.
                 This was made known by the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, who stated that there are no strong reasons for any extension. He advised that those who have reasons

to believe that the schools should not re-open on that date should forward same to the Federal Government.
He said unlike other countries where the disease is transmitted through community contact, Nigeria’s case was different and there was no cause for worry.

“The minister of education, after meeting with the commissioners for education from the 36 states and FCT decided when public schools should open, which is 22nd of September.
“In taking that decision, they considered the information that was given by the federal ministry of health that there is actually no reason now, with the expert information we have at hand, why schools cannot resume earlier than the original date of Oct. 13. “I think people should just allow us to do the work we have been doing very professionally.
“It was based on advice given by the ministry of health that the minister of education took the original decision that it was going to be in October and nobody quarrelled with the minister. Now the minister, based on expert advice, has come back to say the resumption date will now be Sept 22 and some people are now quarrelling with it. I think we should allow the authorities to do their job. It is not an ordinary matter to be discussed the way we want to discuss it. “If you have any evidence why there is need to review it (the resumption date of schools), supply such evidence to the minister of health and we will look at it.

“Unlike other countries, there is no community transmission of the disease in Nigeria; not one yet. But we have taken precautions. We may as well have said everybody should just be moving about, but we are taking precautions. There is no scientific basis for school resumption to be postponed. There is no community transmission of the disease in Nigeria.

  “The most important thing is that we should all work together, but let’s be rational in whatever we are doing so that we don’t cause panic. Panic is not welcome in this business, otherwise we will be in trouble,” he said.

On the reported case of a student of Obafemi Awolowo University, who allegedly had contact with the doctor who died of Ebola in Lagos, the Health Minister confirmed that she had been moved to Lagos for a more comprehensive test to determine whether she was really infected with the virus or not.

He added that at the moment, there are still 490 people under surveillance in Port Harcourt while those under surveillance in Lagos have reduced to only 16.