South Caicos school shut; possible Covid-19 exposure

#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – November 22, 2020 – Turks and Caicos now has its first school closure due to possible Covid-19 contamination; it is in South Caicos at the Marjorie Basden High school.  Students are asked not to report to school tomorrow.

A statement from the Ministry of Education, posted to the TCI Government Facebook page explains:  “The Ministry of Education wishes to advise the general public that face-to-face learning at the Marjorie Basden High School will cease with immediate effect, until further notice. The disruption to face-to-face learning is due to possible exposure by school personnel to COVID-19. The school will be deep cleaned and sanitized during this period and will resume face-to-face learning upon approval from the Ministry of Health. In the interim, all students will resume virtual learning commencing Monday, November 23, 2020.”

Two new cases for South Caicos were recorded over the weekend.  Overall, Turks and Caicos has seen a concerning spike in positive diagnoses with 20 new cases of Covid-19 in 48-hours.

High schools returned to in-person learning in October for its fourth and fifth formers.  Primary schools across the country resumed classroom teaching for grades five and six in November. All students on all islands are due to go back to physical school in the New Year.  Still, it was not expected this process of returning to school campuses would go without its challenges amidst the pandemic.

“The health and safety of our staff and students are of paramount importance; hence we are taking the necessary precautions and urge staff, students and the general public to continue to practice the safety protocols prescribed by the Ministry of Health. This includes the wearing of masks, frequent washing and sanitizing of hands and practising social distancing,” said Education executives in the Sunday evening statement.