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Bulawayo Bureau

THE Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic in Gwanda and Kwekwe Polytechnic have suspended face-to-face lectures after students tested positive for Covid-19.

This comes after a Lower Sixth student at Wise Owl Private School and a teacher at Watershed College both in Marondera tested positive.

By yesterday, six cases had been recorded in Gwanda and four in Kwekwe.

The colleges advised students not to attend lectures until further notice.

JM Nkomo Polytechnic principal, Dr Ngoni Moyo, said the institution would await clearance from the Provincial Covid-19 Committee to resume lessons.

“We have suspended lectures until further notice to give room to testing and screening following cases of Covid-19 recorded at the institution,” he said.

“The Provincial Covid-19 Committee is yet to give us the green light on when to resume lessons. The committee is yet to give us feedback on the total number of positive cases.

“As an institution we have done our own fumigation exercise, but we are waiting for the Ministry of Health (and Child Care) to conduct their own. While face-to-face lectures are suspended, we will be conducting online lessons. Heads of various divisions have been instructed to come up with plans for their academic work.”

According to a report from the Gwanda District Committee on Covid-19 dated November 11 three people have been admitted to the Gwanda Provincial Hospital isolation centre.

Kwekwe District Administrator Mr Fortune Mpungu on Wednesday said that lectures had been suspended pending corrective measures and fumigation processes.

“I can confirm that there are four confirmed cases at Kwekwe Poly, one of which was confirmed at Kwekwe General Hospital and the other three were contacts. Our medical team is on the ground and continues with the contact tracing to find out if there were no other people who contracted the virus,” said Mr Mpungu.