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Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002)

Notices

Directions regarding the re-opening of schools and measures to address, prevent and combat the spread of COVID-19 in the National Department of Basic Education and Provincial Departments of Education and in all schools in the Republic of South Africa

12. General safety measures at schools, hostels and offices for duration of national state of disaster

 

(1) The Provincial Department of Education is responsible for the procurement of personal protective equipment and other COVID-19 essentials for officials and learners and for the provision thereof to public schools and hostels.

 

(1A) To ensure the sufficient supply of cloth face masks, in compliance with regulation 5(3)(c) of the Regulations, the principal of a public school, must request the Provincial Department of Education, in writing, through the district office, to procure cloth face masks required by a public school.

[Direction 12(1A) inserted by section 7 of Notice No. 411, GG43578, dated 2 August 2020]

 

(1B) The District Director must process the request by the principal timeously and forward it to the Provincial Department of Education, without delay.

[Direction 12(1B) inserted by section 7 of Notice No. 411, GG43578, dated 2 August 2020]

 

(1C) The Provincial Department of Education must ensure that the procurement of cloth face masks is finalised and that the cloth face masks are delivered to public schools timeously.

[Direction 12(1C) inserted by section 7 of Notice No. 411, GG43578, dated 2 August 2020]

 

(2) All schools and offices must develop a workplace plan, as contemplated in regulation 16(6)(b) and Annexure E to the Regulations.

 

(3) A school must send out a notice to all parents informing them that they must not send learners to school if the learners have any of the observable symptoms associated with COVID-19, including fever, cough, sore throat, redness of eyes and shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing, body aches, loss of smell or loss of taste, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fatigue or weakness.

 

(4) Every school, hostel and office must implement the health and safety measures as contained in these directions, the Regulations, section 5 of the DBE Standard Operating Procedures and the DBE Guidelines.