Residents to get education update tomorrow
After weeks of waiting, residents are expected to get a much-anticipated announcement regarding the reopening of schools in the territory.
Health Minister Carvin Malone revealed on Friday during the government’s most recent COVID-19 update that announcements will be forthcoming tomorrow from Education Minister Dr Natalio Wheatley.
Malone said these announcements will encompass matters concerning all local primary and secondary schools, whether public or private.
In the last few weeks since the emergence of a major COVID-19 outbreak in the territory, residents have continously raised questions about the reopening of schools and what format it would likely take.
During the last school year, many schools employed a hybrid of online learning and in-person schooling as well as various shift systems to help maintain social distancing protocols and curb the spread of the virus.
Previously, Dr Wheatly said the BVI should not relax its health protocols until the active COVID cases are back down to zero.
He also pleaded for patience from residents regarding updates on the reopening of schools given the fact that the territory still had a high level of active COVID-19 cases.
“Let’s focus on getting those cases down and that will truly inform what we’re able to do in September when we prepare to go back to school,” Dr Wheatley said in the House of Assembly recently.
He noted that the government takes advice from the Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) about the form that school reopening will take.
“Certainly, bringing the cases down with COVID-19 would give us a much better position to be able to go forward with confidence,” Dr Wheatley stated at the time.
At one stage, the BVI had more than 1,600 active cases and has now experienced some 37 deaths thus far. Active cases have now reduced to 152, with seven persons still hospitalised.
Malone said these announcements will encompass matters concerning all local primary and secondary schools, whether public or private.
In the last few weeks since the emergence of a major COVID-19 outbreak in the territory, residents have continously raised questions about the reopening of schools and what format it would likely take.
During the last school year, many schools employed a hybrid of online learning and in-person schooling as well as various shift systems to help maintain social distancing protocols and curb the spread of the virus.
Previously, Dr Wheatly said the BVI should not relax its health protocols until the active COVID cases are back down to zero.
He also pleaded for patience from residents regarding updates on the reopening of schools given the fact that the territory still had a high level of active COVID-19 cases.
“Let’s focus on getting those cases down and that will truly inform what we’re able to do in September when we prepare to go back to school,” Dr Wheatley said in the House of Assembly recently.
He noted that the government takes advice from the Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) about the form that school reopening will take.
“Certainly, bringing the cases down with COVID-19 would give us a much better position to be able to go forward with confidence,” Dr Wheatley stated at the time.
At one stage, the BVI had more than 1,600 active cases and has now experienced some 37 deaths thus far. Active cases have now reduced to 152, with seven persons still hospitalised.
