Got TIPS or BREAKING NEWS? Please call 1-284-442-8000 direct/can also WhatsApp same number or Email ALL news to:newsvino@outlook.com;                               ads call 1-284-440-6666

Physical schools re-opening despite COVID-19 concerns

-Education Minister credits good containment of COVID-19 virus as enabling factor
Enis Adams Primary School in Meyers Estate, Tortola. A cabinet backed phased reopening of schools in the Virgin Islands (VI) has been approved, upturning a previous tentative decision to keep classrooms closed for the rest of the year. Photo: VINO/File
Making the announcement last evening Friday, September 18, 2020, was Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Dr The Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) who credited good containment of the last COVID-19 spike in cases as an enabling factor for the change in plans. Photo: GIS/File
Making the announcement last evening Friday, September 18, 2020, was Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Dr The Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) who credited good containment of the last COVID-19 spike in cases as an enabling factor for the change in plans. Photo: GIS/File
Both public and private schools will be expected to meet COVID-19 guidelines to re-open. Photo: VINO/File
Both public and private schools will be expected to meet COVID-19 guidelines to re-open. Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – A cabinet backed phased reopening of schools in the Virgin Islands (VI) has been approved, upturning a previous tentative decision to keep classrooms closed for the rest of the year.

Making the announcement last evening Friday, September 18, 2020, was Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Dr The Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) who credited good containment of the last COVID-19 spike in cases as an enabling factor for the change in plans.

“As a result of the continued progress that the Territory has experienced with the identification and isolation of positive cases, with the widespread testing and reduction of new positive cases, and with the many recoveries of infected persons, I am pleased to announce that we are now poised to resume our phased reopening of schools,” Hon Wheatley said.

The decision comes despite lingering concerns of COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the territory, concerns that derailed earlier opening plans due to an August 2020 spike in local COVID-19 cases. 

Phased approach subject to inspection

In the first phase of the opening approach, private schools, daycare centres, pre-schools and colleges will open for in-school instruction.

These institutions will be subject to inspection by the Social Monitoring Task Force and the Ministry of Education, and must comply with the social distancing protocols of six feet and sanitisation measures.

“It is of paramount importance that everyone understands that all educational institutions must have measures in place to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our children and our teachers, as stipulated in our ‘Framework for the reopening of Schools’, or they will not be allowed to open. This is a serious responsibility that we must all work together on,” Dr Wheatley said. 

While no specific date was announced for the re-opening, Dr Wheatley told Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) that institutions will be allowed to open once inspected and approved. 

Public schools opening for some students

Public-school classrooms will also be re-opening in a phased manner to allow entry to a number of special groups.

“We recognize that all students are not able to access online education in the same way,” he said, as such, technical education students, students with special needs, marginalised students and some adult education students will be allowed into the classroom.

He encouraged institutions to continue using digital tools like Cisco Webex, Zoom online platform, Class Dojo, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google Teams, and Google Hangout for interactive online sessions.

The Minister also noted that schools will be expected to comply with the requirements outlined in the Ministry’s Framework for the Rreopening of schools, including wearing of masks, visitor restrictions, social distancing and sanitisation stations.

 

 

24 Responses to “Physical schools re-opening despite COVID-19 concerns”

  • No Plan (19/09/2020, 12:46) Like (32) Dislike (22) Reply
    This Gov is a big waste of time. No plan, no plan whatsovee
    • Igwe (19/09/2020, 13:01) Like (36) Dislike (25) Reply
      The fact that it is a phased approach means it is a plan, do you all think before you post?
  • My girl (19/09/2020, 12:58) Like (20) Dislike (3) Reply
    Good move, time to open up the place man
    • wise up (19/09/2020, 21:59) Like (13) Dislike (3) Reply
      Open up the place and be like st thomas, let the curfew continues as long as possible,some people just can’t follow rules I see bars still opening undercover.
  • Teacher (19/09/2020, 13:05) Like (13) Dislike (3) Reply
    I was wating for this for so long but nothing happen before its time Good luck Mr Minister God be with you
  • this is good (19/09/2020, 13:19) Like (20) Dislike (3) Reply
    This a forward moving move.. We can't throw up our hands and surrender... It is unwise to fail without even trying, however, I would like to see 2 sessions a day... No break no play...one session, 8:30 to 12:00 for one set of students, then they head for their homes...then another session from 1 to 4.. This would allow for distancing....no breaks no mingling for now. This can rotate weekly the students that did morning this week, do afternoon the following week, .This can assessed after each month adjust or fixed...
    • wise up (19/09/2020, 22:01) Like (8) Dislike (7) Reply
      What can the kids learn from couple hours of class by the time they In class is time to leave bull....s. I don’t want my kids to be out there exposed let them stay home and do online
      • jah (19/09/2020, 23:32) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
        I with u sa
      • Total agree (20/09/2020, 09:07) Like (10) Dislike (2) Reply
        I feel the same. Next on my list the mask how can you have daycare open for little kids to sit and wear these mask til 7-4 and someone on top say no play. To be honest allot of these parents have person who can help them out with them kids their just dont want their kids home no more. I said it and I ain't taking it back. I see so much of you going out when it had the 12 o'clock curfew partying having fun but when its time for you do to some work with your kids you cant leave your child home cause you have no one to watch them. So question who been watching them at night can watch them at day.
      • @ Wise Up (21/09/2020, 18:04) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        They’re not learning anything in many of these online classes. Half the time there’s internet issues and idle time.

  • Pressure burst pipe (19/09/2020, 13:40) Like (69) Dislike (8) Reply
    This government seems to sway with the wind. This type of leadership makes me uncomfortable.
  • hhhmmm (19/09/2020, 13:42) Like (2) Dislike (2) Reply
    We need to get back in asap to get our kids ready for this.
  • good (19/09/2020, 14:33) Like (9) Dislike (1) Reply
    We can do this ! Parents support your schools !
  • not so (19/09/2020, 17:35) Like (6) Dislike (0) Reply
    Good move, we have to live with this virus!
  • Huh! (19/09/2020, 18:37) Like (12) Dislike (2) Reply
    Make a decision and stick with it! Geesh tired of the roller coaster!
  • Comment (19/09/2020, 20:26) Like (7) Dislike (11) Reply
    let get all schools open and stop play with our kids education plz and with the high school you can do 2 shifts the smaller kids 8-12 & the older ones go from 12-4 let go we can do this let be brave and go for it cause this virus not going away anytime now
    • trrefdrfds (20/09/2020, 03:18) Like (22) Dislike (2) Reply
      The truth is a lot of you who want the children back in th ose school buildings do not have any one who is going to be exposed. Therefore, you do not care who get sick or who die because it is not going to affect you. I will like to know what is the plan for social distancing at ESHS. CTL building for starters is not properly ventilated and only 2 bathrooms for all those kids. Are we going to have the Janitors cleaning the bathrooms after each use? Are we going to put more windows in the building? You people are so sickening complaining about everything and have no solutions. There is nothing wrong with the virtual learning. Most students are doing well and there are parents who have prioritized and put things in place so their children can have a successful semester. The educators also have been working night and day planning. We should be looking out for teachers and students. You peope who talking about be brave and go for it , why don't you be brave and jump off a cliff. It will make who want to see this Government fail very happy if we have a serious out break of Covid, but when you dig a ditch dig two because Covid do not respect anybody. This Government has been doing well so far. Yes we are broke and hungry but so is the rest of the world. Let us continue to be cautious and make wize decisions.
      • Hog Tail (20/09/2020, 08:08) Like (5) Dislike (1) Reply
        Lets becarefull opening schools is a very dangerious move
      • tretretrete (20/09/2020, 11:59) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
        ok, I get what you are saying... so there are some people that is for school being closed and a set for borders being closed. If the borders are going to be closed then why not open the schools then? there must be a balance, you cannot have borders closed and school closed.....In Anguilla schools are open. We can do a shift system or something...
    • ?? (24/09/2020, 12:33) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Comment and some of you with similar suggestions Please take into consideration that the classrooms would need to be sanitized between use and one hour is not enough time to do that to ensure safe environment for the 2nd session as are being suggested.
      Would you like to sit in the same position and in one place for four hours without a bathroom or even a water break? That is a form of abuse. Think about it.
      Some people are coming with all sorts of weird suggestions and ideas without even intelligently assessing the situation.
      For those children who use public transport. How should that be addressed? Please take that into consideration also.
      People have the MOEd so confused he doesn’t know what to do.
  • Sister Islands (20/09/2020, 07:04) Like (6) Dislike (1) Reply
    Slow down and please sir do not listen to the masses as they usually are not coming from rational thoughts and mind but of selfishness and the need for the return of their babysitting services (a.k.a school). At the same time you guys wanna bring in WP holders and returning residents, reopen businesses including restaurants and dine in as well as hotesl which means staycations again (sigh... why people do not stay home) you all gonna bring kids and teachers back to school? Task force aint event start fully yet and you all rushing cause people bawling and calling. All the schools in US that rushed to reopen had to rush to close back ...why we rushing to do the same with our limted resources on main land and next to nil on VG, JVD and Anegada? Playing with people's lives is no joke. Waiting to January would at least have given enough time to assess if the phased reopening along with efforts of task force is effective but no. people too impatient. Those of us who do not wanna risk the lives of our children and the people they and we come in contact with should have the option of saying no
  • Rebecca (21/09/2020, 14:14) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    My children are not an experiment waiting to see what works and what doesn't. I will keep homeschooling mine until we are COVID-19 clear. Yes, we are suffering financially, but if I send them back to school, and they catch the virus, I would never forgive myself and would be heartbroken for the rest of my life. This is my choice and no one else's. You all will choose what is best for your children. I hope that everything goes 100% right.


Create a comment


Create a comment

Disclaimer: Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) welcomes your thoughts, feedback, views, bloggs and opinions. However, by posting a blogg you are agreeing to post comments or bloggs that are relevant to the topic, and that are not defamatory, liable, obscene, racist, abusive, sexist, anti-Semitic, threatening, hateful or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be excluded permanently from making contributions. Please view our declaimer above this article. We thank you in advance for complying with VINO's policy.

Follow Us On

Disclaimer: All comments posted on Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) are the sole views and opinions of the commentators and or bloggers and do not in anyway represent the views and opinions of the Board of Directors, Management and Staff of Virgin Islands News Online and its parent company.