The Zimbabwean government extended the national lockdown in the country by a further two weeks and also delayed the opening of schools by a week as the country battles against a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a government notice, the one-week period is aimed at giving schools time to put in place preventive public health measures depending on the existing COVID-19 situation at that time.
Other measures in the notice include a directive that teachers and students must wear face masks while in class and teachers and students who are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine should get the jab before schools open.
Authorities were also ordered to conduct regular inspections of learning institutions at least once a week to assess their compliance with the regulations.
Earlier this month, the government postponed the reopening of schools, with the exception of examination classes, due to a surge COVID-19 cases.
Zimbabwe has so far reported 225,637 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 20,993 recoveries and 5,238 deaths.
(Story compiled with assistance from wire reports)
