The Department of Basic Education (DBE) announced yesterday that
all contact sport at schools is suspended with immediate effect.
The reaction to the announcement from South Africans has been
mixed. Many feel their children have already lost out on so much since the
start of the pandemic, and now this has been taken away too.
The DBE says this decision
was made following the school sports-related activities believed to have caused
the Covid-19 outbreaks in Gauteng, reported in the last week of Term 1, and the
general rise of cases in the country. It says the risk is high when engaging in
close-contact sports, especially among people who did not live together.
On 12 February, Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga
gazetted directions on school sports and extra mural activities, non-contact
sport, sports related activities and school-based art and cultural activities
to resume subject to health and safety protocols.
“In this regard, all close-contact sporting activities have
been suspended with immediate effect until the clusters outbreak is
subsequently over with no further cases reported including the preparatory
school sport,” the DBE statement said. “The department will continue to monitor
the situation. A government gazette will be issued with the notice in the
coming days.”
It said non-contact sport training in schools can continue
provided all social distancing, hygiene and safety measures are observed, and there
is no physical contact among participants during training.
