UNIVERSITIES, SCHOOLS TO RE-OPEN COVID-19 community transmission LEVEL 4 (MAY 2020)

South African parents are cheering, that "stage 4" partial lifting of lock down from 1st May 2020 ("workers day") provides for the re-opening of Education Services. A million breadwinners will have lost their jobs by then, leaving many more mouths they support wondering who "flattening the curve", was worth this much to.

A politician, likely an ANC Minister, will declare "the dates and schedule set out separately".

But how prepared are our universities, schools, teachers, Department of Health - and especially, students? Where is the PPE masks, hand sanitizders - space for social distancing?

RISK ESCALATION OF COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION

Schools, universities in real, physical South Africa are not "socially distanced", nor capable of being so. South African institutions provide a direct and highly mobile highway between major routes of transmission (public transport), domestic workers and high density living areas. Surprisingly, these may include by association your family and through your home, grandparents.

HIGH STAKES GAMBLE IN SUBURBIA

Nelson Mandela University, formerly "UPE", is a case in point. Its historic South Campus is located in Port Elizabeth's "posh" seaside suburb of Summerstrand.

Despite having 830 hectares at its disposal, the University declines to provide housing and encourages many of its 28,000 students to take up residence nearby. Much of new Summerstrand, comprises grand looking houses (often bonded and subsidized by public and municipal schemes) which have been quartered into 14, 20 or more "rooms" - often, in breach of health and safety requirements.

• Interestingly, a driver on Friday evening enquired after a house which had converted into a Covid Quarantine guest house in the very same suburb - randlords, it seems, won't spare a buck to save a life. (Viruses don't care about our pigment).
• However, do residents have a legal right to know, if high risk populations and households are warehoused in their midst?

Shebeens, houses of prostitution and home delivery scooters for Nando's and drugs usually fly up and down these streets even more frequently than the elite's rich kids cars, pushing past the wheelchairs of the elderly residents who live here.

(A R6,000 pm "free" student accommodation subsidy given by Government and paid for by taxing us, is a juicy meal ticket not only for landlords, Super-Spar's and bottle stores, but also several hundred Uber drivers).

South African universities receive subsidies ranging from R647,000 per student to R25,000 per student from the national purse this year; the spending spree did not halt with the rest of the economy.

Students have returned, and the party has already re-started in anticipation of an imminent re-opening.

Is the University, Metro or Government in the slightest prepared? Or is this a public health disaster - avoidable - one of many, still to follow?

CDC: THE US SCIENCE BASED APPROACH TO RE-OPENING CHILD CARE

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has just released its draft guidelines, which are all the more important as coronavirus infections in the USA have already peaked. American guidelines are for the reopening of child care in three phases:

• phase one - just children of essential workers;
• phase two - all children with enhanced social distancing measures;
• phase three - all children with social distancing measures, while promoting “healthy hygiene habits, and intensify cleaning, disinfection and ventilation.”

SOUTH AFRICA: WILL THE GATES OF HELL BE THROWN WIDE OPEN?

South Africa, will only commence its ascent of the Covid-19 curve from 1st May 2020 in earnest, yet already our Ministers seemingly plan to open up schools and universities incapable of social distancing, dead square in the heart of our most vulnerable communities.

Students are already partying, and several have been seen pushing past Spar attendants trying to monitor their temperature. Some of these high risk takers are already speeding through traffic lights, with traffic dramatically on the increase- not a Metro speed cop in sight.

COPS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT ON LONG PAID LEAVE?

South Africa's presidential plan, proposes that most of the million "public servant" households continue living off the taxpayer, and should be the last to return to work, in level 1.

Mere days ago, the nation officially breached the "official" infection count of 4,546 which is set to rapidly escalate. A two week hiatus is expected due to incubation period - but come the 16th May, may be the start of reckoning day.