The department of health has revealed in a new statement that children must wear masks in schools

The department of health has revealed in a new statement that children must wear face masks in schools.
Image via Pixabay

Close call! Govt blames ‘human error’, retracts new SA schools’ mask rule

The Department of Health has cleared confusion around the extended COVID-19 regulations, stating that children MUST wear masks at school.

The department of health has revealed in a new statement that children must wear masks in schools

The department of health has revealed in a new statement that children must wear face masks in schools.
Image via Pixabay

The Health Department has clarified confusion surrounding school children and the wearing of masks in South Africa.

According to a new statement issued on Thursday afternoon 5 May, the department revealed that the new “limited” COVID-19 regulations – which came into effect today – pertaining to children being exempt from wearing masks, were made “in error”.

On Wednesday, South Africa recorded its highest positivity rate amid the “fifth wave” of infections

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NCID), there were 6,170 new COVID-19 cases identified, of which yielded a 22.6% positivity rate of those tested.

The majority of positive cases were found in Gauteng province at 41%, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 27%.

CHILDREN MUST WEAR MASKS, CLAIM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

On Wednesday evening, the department issued a media statement that provided a three-month extension of existing Covid-19 health regulations.

They include:

  • Masks must continue to be worn indoors, including on all public transport and on flights
  • All gatherings are permitted at 50% of the venue capacity:
  • Travelers into South Africa must produce a valid vaccination certificate or valid certificate of a negative Covid-19 test, recognised by the World Health Organisation

However, the statement incorrectly stated that children attending school would not be required to wear face masks.

On Thursday, the department did a turn-around, claiming that the regulation was an oversight and was a “human error”.

It said in a new statement regarding school children and masks: “This is not part of the gazetted health regulations, and is therefore retracted to avoid any misunderstanding of the regulations.

“Therefore, children like other people are expected to continue complying with the provisions of Regulation 16A on face masks in the classrooms and general indoor gatherings, unlike outdoors in playgrounds and sports fields”.

Only children under the age of six years are not required to wear masks.

HEALTH DDG: ‘WE WANT THEM TO BE FREE’

The department of health’s clarification counters comments made earlier today by Health Department’s deputy director-general, Doctor Nicholas Crisp.

Speaking to EWN, Crisp claimed that the department wanted school learners to be “free and able to move as possible”.

He said: “We regard them as a place of learning where we want the children to be as free and able to move as possible. But where there are sick people or people who want to wear a mask, that would be encouraged but if they are in the classroom and there’s sufficient social distancing, then they will not need to wear a mask on school premises

“It’s always been a challenge with small children and even with some older children it’s been a bit of a restriction and so the wearing of masks is less of a concern to us in that particular environment”.

PARENTS REACT IN CONFUSION

Before the department of health clarifying their statement, parents expressed confusion on social media.

On Twitter, many parents had strong opinions about their children ditching face masks after the start of the pandemic in 2020.

ALSO READ: ‘It’s frustrating’: Here’s how our new mask laws will affect flights in SA…