Mpumalanga records first Covid-19 death as toll rises to 998

Mpumalanga has recorded its first Covid-19 death as current cases neared 50 000 and deaths creep closer to the 1 000 mark.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize released the daily statistics on Sunday evening, which saw an increase of 2 312 infections, taking the number of cases to 48 285.

Covid-19: The big wave is coming

It is only a matter of time before the rest of South Africa reaches the surge in Covid-19 coronavirus cases currently being experienced in the Western Cape, experts warn.

Epidemiologists, as well as experts in infectious diseases and vaccinology, spoke to City Press this week.

All agreed that a change in social behaviour was the only way to halt the increasing speed at which the virus was spreading.

Over 95% of schools has some sort of water supply.

Deadline for the option home schooling has been extended to September in Gauteng.

Online learning can't be a solution for Gauteng only but for the country, says Lesufi.

Parents can choose the best options for their children, there are four options to choose from.

66 staff from 55 different schools have been infected in the Western Cape.

95% of schools ready to reopen after 'drastically improved' mop-up week - Motshekga

The country's basic education system has put in a momentous effort - and is now ready to open.

This was announced on Sunday by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga - giving the green light for grades 7 and 12 to return to school on Monday.

No visitors are allowed at schools say Motshekga, this includes parents and the media.

"This is a humble request," she says.

Gauteng has almost 155 nurses available for schools.

GPs mainly in township areas will start at schools before going to their surgeries.

The amount, and quality of PPEs is an issue faced by the department in the province although all schools have PPEs.

2089 in schools are catering for Grades 12 and 7 - 2078 of them are ready.

Vandalism and water and sanitation are the main reasons other schools aren't ready to open.

30 schools have staff who have tested positive of Covid-19. The list of these schools will be posted on the department's website.

In the North West necessary training and orientation has been done.

Many schools have been vandalised and the department has taken over to repair the damages.

PPEs have been procured.

Free State schools has all Covid-19 essentials like masks and sanitisers.

The province's schools has enough water tankers but the challenge of having them filled remains.

Every school in the province has an allocated nurse and clinic.

There were 72 schools that were vandalised.

43 schools in Mpumalanga won't open on Monday because no water tanks have arrived at the schools.

Schools are ready with masks.

147 schools were vandalised, 77 had to be fixed, the remainder needed minor repairs such as broken windows.

Challenge for schools in KwaZulu-Natal is water and sanitation, 104 schools won't open because they aren't ready to be opened.

Pupils from those schools will be accommodated at other facilities.

Just over 400 schools were vandalised but only 10 were in need of mobile classrooms and the remainder  will have necessary repairs.

Distances will be maintained at schools and schools are working on a plan to maintain the distancing once more pupils return to school, says Schäfer.

Mosai wrapping up his speech. He says they will continue tankering to schools for the remaining deliveries.

Those will be completed in the next three to four days.

Some installations that need to be completed will be finished within two weeks.

In the main, some schools in Limpopo and Mpumalanga also have a small proportion of schools in the 5% of schools nationally that are not ready.

In Northern Cape, those small amounts of schools are ones that need to complete the orientation process.

Western Cape is also "essentially" fully ready, except for a small proportion of schools that require repairs - they do not exceed 10 schools in total.

"Vandalised schools, which are an occurrence in all 9 provinces," Mweli says.

Mweli reminds those listening that on Monday, only 13.4% of the total number of learners will be received by schools due to the phased reopening.

"The total number of all learners is 13.1 million. So we are only receiving 1.6 million learners from Monday, which is 13.4%."

He shows that all schools in Free State and Gauteng are ready.

Some schools in KZN and Eastern Cape form part of the 5% nationally that are not yet ready.

"Where practicably possible, learners from the 'not-so-ready schools', will be moved to neighbouring schools that meet the health, safety and social distancing set measures and requirements," Motshekga says.

"The teaching and learning programmes provided online will continue; and parents who are uneasy to send their children back to school, must follow the law to ensure that their children's right to basic education is unhindered."

"All these reports confirm we have really moved a long way to be ready to teach on June 8," says Motshekga.

"A number of provinces which were initially classified as high risk, have improved to medium risk. There are no provinces at high risk."

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga is now recapping how the sector got to this point, including the original postponement from June 1 to tomorrow, June 8.

"So we did inform the public, that based on those critical reports, we resolved that provinces should use the week of the 1st to the 8th to sort out all outstanding issues."

SA schools say it's all systems go

Despite concerns about the provision of masks, pupils in grades 7 and 12 are set to return to school tomorrow.

Schools: Unions, SGB associations 'tentatively' support school reopening after progress report

Teachers' unions as well as school governing body (SGB) associations say they support the call to reopen schools on Monday, following consultations with the Department of Basic Education and Minister Angie Motshekga over the weekend.

Covid-19 data: DA to appeal rejection of PAIA bid to get provincial stats from govt

The DA is expected to launch and internal appeal to get access to a provincial breakdown of Covid-19 statistics from the government, following the rejection of their Promotion of Access to Information Act application.

Eerie photos show empty cruise ships moored off coasts around the world

Travel limits caused by the coronavirus in March saw the cruise industry freeze and clear their calendars for much of the year, leaving many empty liners laid up in ports or anchored out to sea, where they continue to drift listlessly.