Antigua and Barbuda: 14 students and two teachers are under isolation

Antigua and Barbuda:  The Ministry of Education declared that 14 students and two teachers are in quarantine.

The Ministry of Education declared that two public schools were shut on Monday over COVID-19 concerns.

“I bring to the attention of the people that we would have shut down, as of today, two schools, the two schools in Barbuda, as of a situation there,” Clare Browne, the Director of Education, said on state media of Antigua and Barbuda.

Browne also declared that “one teacher on Barbuda and another teacher on Antigua” had tested positive for the lethal coronavirus and were under isolation or quarantine.

“The teacher on Antigua, that teacher was not present in school for the last 14 days or so”, Clare Browne, the Director of Education, added.

“We would have received, from the monitoring and epidemiological unit, this morning 11 names of students who are on quarantine”, Browne further reported.

The number of quarantine students extended to 14 later on Monday and involved six students from Primary School, seven from Secondary School, and one from the Antigua State College.

Minister of Education Daryll Matthew said, at the time, the Ministry of Health did not advise that any student had tested positive for the coronavirus nor approved closure of all schools.

He said the Ministry had the “support of the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers to keep schools permitted for the next 48 hours.”

However, he said the situation was fluid and could develop at any moment. “Forty-eight hours should take us to Wednesday, which is our regular Cabinet day. Of this time, the Cabinet will consider in-depth with the Ministry of Health officials to see the circumstances changed, has it gotten better has it gotten worse, does it endure the same. If so, what decision do we take,” the Education Minister explained.

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