Plan in place for sick students but no health team yet for Tobago schools

The THA Division of Education, Innovation and Energy is yet to set up a health team to deal with suspected covid19 cases at schools, although schools have physically reopened for secondary students from forms four to six.

In its guidelines, the Ministry of Education said in Trinidad a unit has been approved by Cabinet and will be staffed with 14 nurses and a doctor. Two nurses will be assigned to the educational districts as district medical teams and will be the liaison between schools and the ministry’s other units and share information with principals and supervisors.

Addressing reporters after touring five of the nine secondary schools on the island, Education Secretary Marslyn Melville-Jack said a note would be taken to the Executive Council later this week.

She is hopeful that the same policy will be adopted in Tobago.

“In Tobago, we have not yet taken that route. The Executive Council needs to give approval for that to be done.

"The Executive Council will meet this week for the first time and a note would be sent from the division for one medical practitioner and two nurses. I am pretty sure it would be accepted.”

She said while most schools have an isolation unit for students who show flu-like symptoms, in the meantime, a relationship has been formed with the health sector.

“Once the students exhibit a high temperature, those students would be kept in the isolation area. They would not be able to come into the mainstream population.

"While they are there, their parents may be contacted or the health professionals that we have sourced at this time. We have formed an alliance with the health department, so that wherever health centres are located close to those schools that are reopened, one nurse is dedicated to the covid19 response. So, the principals can call those health centres for back-up.”