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

Notices

Directions regarding the reopening 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 all schools in the Republic of South Africa

13. General safety measures at schools, hostels and offices for duration of COVID-19 pandemic

 

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

 

(2) To ensure the sufficient supply of cloth face masks, in compliance with regulation 34(3)(c) of the Regulations and face shields for learners with special educational needs, the principal of a public school, must request the Provincial Department of Education, in writing, through the district office, to procure cloth face masks and face shields as required by a public school.

 

(3) The District Director must process the request by the principal within three days of receipt thereof and forward it to the Provincial Department of Education, without delay.

 

(4) 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.

 

(5) All schools and offices must develop a workplace plan containing the following information:
(a) Which employees are permitted to work;
(b) what plans are in place for the employees at the workplace;
(c) what health protocols are in place to protect employees from COVID-19; and
(d) the details of the COVID-19 compliance officer.

 

(6) 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, or has been in direct contact with a person who is suspected to have COVID-19.

 

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