Zimbabwe orders all schools to close on Tuesday

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has today ordered all schools and tertiary institutions to close on Tuesday, 24 March, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mnangagwa had earlier said that the schools would close in two weeks, but he said he had changed his mind because of concerns from parents and representations from the education sector.

Some teachers had threatened to withdraw if schools were not closed by tomorrow.

“Government has decided that all schools and tertiary institutions (colleges, polytechnics and universities) will now close on Tuesday 24^th March 2020, as a precaution against the outbreak and spread of coronavirus,” Mnangagwa said in a statement.

“While Zimbabwe has not recorded any cases of the virus to date, Government has thought it prudent to err on the side of caution, more so in respect of teaching institutions where human concentration and contact is expectedly high,” he said.

Mnangagwa said the government will announce the date for the reopening of schools once the coronavirus threat has receded.

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