Schools with over 15% COVID-19 infections will be closed down - Okoe Boye

- Dr Bernard Okoe Boye has indicated that the government will only heed the calls to close down schools if 15% of a school population contracts the coronavirus

- Okoe Boye added that, as a government, they would take into consideration two things to either close down a particular school or stop them from writing exams

- He mentioned a 15% infection rate and over 50% morbidity rate of the number

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The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, has indicated that the government will only heed the calls to close down a school if 15% of its population contracts the COVID-19 virus.

In doing some mathematics, he revealed that if a school has 500 students and 35 of them (amounting to 7%) of the total population catch the virus, it would not be necessary.

Okoe Boye added that they would take into consideration two things when deciding to close down a particular school or stop them from writing exams, as well as dealing with the issue separately

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He mentioned a 15% infection rate and over 50% morbidity rate of the number.

While talking in an interview on Asempa FM, he said:

“The allowed percentage is 7%. If you have 14 or 15 % of the school population, it is alarming. And the second one which is even the most alarming category is when morbidity is more than half the number you have.

If half of your cases are sick, it means there might be many out there that you’ve not picked,”

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In a related development, 55 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 after coming into contact with infected persons.

A total of 55 out of the 314 persons who were traced after coming into contact with the first six cases recorded at Accra Girls' Senior High School tested positive.

A joint statement issued by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ghana Educations Service (GES) on 13 July 2020, said the infected people comprise students and staff at the school.

According to the statement, all the infected persons have been separated from the other students who have not contracted the virus.

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Source: YEN.com.gh