LUSAKA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The reopening of schools in Zambia has been delayed by two weeks due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, the country's presidency said on Friday.
Schools were initially expected to open on January 18 but will now be opened on February 1.
In a statement, Zambian President Edgar Lungu said the delay was meant to allow school authorities to prepare adequately in terms of putting in place preventive measures against the pandemic.
He said the country has seen a spike in cases that could put learners at risk if schools reopened without putting in place effective preventive measures.
Earlier, six teacher unions expressed concern about the preparedness of the Ministry of General Education ahead of the reopening of schools.
The teacher unions said in a statement that the ministry could have carried out a survey before declaring that all schools should open on January 18. Enditem
