Northern Cape Education Department Spokesperson, Geoffrey van der Merwe, says this number is made up mainly of 180 learners, 62 educators and 22 support staff. 

According to Van der Merwe, no district in the province is spared in this regard. 

For days on end, the Northern Cape recorded the second-highest number of active cases in South Africa but has since been overtaken by the Free State. 

Presently the Northern Cape has 7 604 active cases. 

Van der Merwe says learning and teaching at affected schools in the province is taking a knock during this time.

According to Van der Merwe “since the 1st of May 2021, 79 schools have been closed to allow for disinfection and the immediate isolation of appropriately identified staff and learners. A total of 61 schools have already successfully reopened, whilst 18 schools still remain closed. Whilst schools are still making use of differentiated timetables and rotating learners daily, parents also need to provide support at home”. 

Furthermore, the Department will get the ball rolling on recovery plans, to make up for the learning and teaching time lost.

The Northern Cape Education Department has thanked all educators and support staff for their commitment, especially during the last three weeks. 

Whilst the Free State has overtaken the Northern Cape regarding the number of active Covid-19 cases, the latter province has a higher death number, recording 24 coronavirus related deaths in the last 24 hours. This is according to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD).

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