(Trinidad Express) On Tuesday night, as a letter circulated on social media announcing the school’s temporary closure because a pupil had contact with a positive Covid-19 virus patient, NPTA Public Relations Officer Sharmila Raheem told Express the matter is to be investigated.
The letter to teachers was issued on Tuesday afternoon, hours after the Ministry of Education issued a statement that officials and stakeholders in education have agreed to keep the date of the 2020 Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) as August 20 citing the socio and psychological effects on students.
In the Ministry’s statement, Education Minister Anthony Garcia said the decision to maintain the SEA date was agreed by all stakeholders, to be in the best interest of students.
Since school reopened on July 20 to facilitate Standard Fives sitting of the SEA examination, the Maraval R.C. Primary School and Tacarigua Presbyterian School have been closed due to the Covid-19 virus.
The letter stated that the Chief Medical Officer of Health of St George East had contacted the school principal at 4.34 p.m. and informed her that one of the pupils had been exposed to a contact of a person who tested positive for the Covid-19 virus.
It stated, “Given the risk the student may have posed to the school population they have recommended that we close school temporarily pending clearance from the Ministry of Health. Moreover, as per protocol, we would have to quarantine. However, he (CMO St George East) did not know enough and could not say for how long.”
It added that the teachers’ details would be forwarded to the CMO.
