The federal government has said students with COVID-19 symptoms should stay at home, as SS3 students return to schools this week nationwide.
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, stated this during Monday’s press conference in Abuja.
The PTF faulted state governments who directed students to produce results of their COVID-19 tests before resumption.
It said instead of compulsory tests, students already showing symptoms of coronavirus should be asked to stay away.
In preparation for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), students in Ogun and Benue would resume today, while those in Kano and Ekiti will return to school on August 10.
The Ogun State Government before it made a U-turn on Monday, had asked all boarding students to go for a compulsory COVID-19 test.
This resulted in a protest by parents whose children are in private schools, who would have paid N25,000 for the test.
But Aliyu while responding to a question on the issue, said: “It is far more important to monitor for symptoms and check for temperature, and ensure students that have symptoms of cough or any other respiratory symptoms are told to stay back at home and seek medical attention.
“This is far more useful than doing COVID-19 test before they resume. It is safer as well to monitor the students rather than test them at a particular point in time.”
