Ogun state government says all SS3 boarding students must take COVID-19, malaria tests

The Ogun State government says all SS3 boarding students in the state must take the tests for COVID-19 and malaria before they will be admitted into their various hostels.

This was announced in a statement on Saturday by the S.A. to the governor on Primary and Secondary Education, Mrs Ronke Soyombo.

She revealed that the State Ministry of Health has already made provisions for the students to take the tests, as part of the conditions for the re-opening of schools in Ogun.

Soyombo explained that the exercise which began on July 31 and would end on August 3, was ongoing at three public health care facilities in the state.

They include ‘The 250 MTR’ – a white edifice opposite the State Secretariat in the Okemosan area of Abeokuta, the state capital.

The other two facilities are the Ogun State General Hospital in Ado-Odo Ota and the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital in Sagamu.

She noted that all principals of private and public schools have been asked to enforce the directive of the government which was in line with the guidelines of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

“All the returning boarding students are to stay in the school hostels only. Parents are hereby advised that private hostels are exempted from accommodating students during this period to ensure strict compliance with NCDC directives,” the statement read.

Soyombo said part of the “strong condition of admittance” to school was that returning boarding students must present a COVID-19 certificate showing negative.

“To this end, all principals are, therefore, directed to immediately disseminate the above important information to all SS3 learners in the state and to ensure that the above instructions are strictly adhered to as sanctions will be meted out to any defaulting school,” the government warned.