These new developments come after Grey College Secondary in Bloemfontein announced the closure of their school last week as a result of a spike in Covid-19 cases. Shortly after that, Willem Postma Primary School followed suit.

The Free State Department of Education spokesperson, Howard Ndaba, confirmed to OFM News that 39 learners, 28 learners of Dr Blok and 11 learners of Heide Primary, who share a hostel, tested positive. There are also five learners who do not reside in the hostel.

“This is an outbreak in our view and we are working with the Department of Health to give us counselling on the way forward. The department was there to assess, because since Monday, learners were tested. We started to get the results from Tuesday, and the number just escalated, 39 in the hostel and 5 who are not in the hostel,” said Ndaba.

He said that the Free State Education Department is now waiting on the Health Department to decide on the way forward amidst the outbreak of positive cases in the Dr Blok hostel.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi