Close to 100 students in Siaya have contracted Covid-19 since the re-opening of schools in November, 2020, area governor, Cornel Rasanga has said.
Rasanga, who chairs the county emergency response committee on Covid-19 said that the number of positive cases reported in educational institutions in the county include 17 teachers and three non-teaching staff.
He was speaking at Ng’ura primary school in central Alego location during the launch of an initiative dubbed “Adopt a school against Covid-19”.
The initiative aims at mobilizing the public to embrace and support educational institutions cope with the pandemic.
The governor, who was flanked by the Siaya county commissioner, Michael ole Tialal and County Secretary, Joseph Ogutu however said that all the 99 learners, teachers and non-teaching staff who contracted the virus have since recovered and discharged.
He said that the county government of Siaya has continued to put in place public health protocols to contain the spread of Covid-19 in educational establishments to ensure safety for the more that 460,000 pupils and students.
“Apart from the previous efforts we have endeavoured to make water available in all learning institutions throughout the county. My government is now installing water tanks of 5,000 litres each in 30 Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) centres and 14 vocational training centres,” said the governor.
Rasanga added that the county government was further supporting a number of the institutions with face masks, hand washing detergents, Jerricans and thermo-guns.
During the occasion, the governor announced that he was adopting Ng’ura primary school and nine others in Alego-Usonga constituency.
“The county commissioner, my deputy, county secretary and other senior county staff have all agreed to adopt three schools each and will be distributing their support to the schools in due course,” announced Rasanga.
Addressing the occasion, County Commissioner Michael ole Tialal called for strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols, adding that the re-opening of schools calls for high level discipline to avoid turning the institutions into super spreaders.
Tialal further called on parents to ensure that all their children go back to school after the long break, while expressing concern over the high number of teenage pregnancies in the county and warned those responsible that they will be brought to book.
The occasion, which saw the governor donate masks, sanitizers and detergents to the school, was also attended by the deputy governor, Dr. James Okumbe, County executive committee member for health, Dismas Wakla and his Information and culture counterpart, Charles Ogada, among others.
by Philip Onyango
