A QUICK

GUIDE TO THE
STANDARD
OPERATING
PROCEDURE
FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND

FOR SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL

COMMUNITIES
 Help administrators of ordinary and special primary
and secondary schools (hereafter referred to as
“schools”) to prevent the spread of COVID-19
among learners, educators, support staff and
officials.
OBJECTIVES Help schools to understand the protocols that must
OF THE SOP be followed should a case of COVID-19 be identified.

Provide considerations for the isolation of

suspected cases of COVID-19.

1
 What is COVID-19?

COVID 19
is mainly a respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) virus, and we
are learning more about it every day. There is no vaccine available to
protect against COVID-19 at present. Thus, the best way to prevent
infection is to avoid exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19.
Preventing transmission (spread) of the virus through everyday
practices is the best way to keep people healthy.

Childcare facilities and schools, working together with local health

departments, play an important role in slowing the spread of
diseases, to ensure that learners have safe and healthy learning
environments. More detailed information on COVID-19 is available
here on the following websites:

[Link], [Link], [Link],

[Link]

How to prevent the spread of COVID-19?

Wear your Social

mask Distance
1m

No hand Cover your

shaking cough &
sneeze
How to prevent
the spread
of COVID-19?
Disinfect Wash hands
common with soap for
surfaces 20 sec

Avoid touching Use 60%

face with alcohol based
unwashed hands hand sanitizer

2
 R o l e s a n d R e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s o f t h e S M T,
S G B A N D S TA F F

SMT, SGB and staff members must stay informed about COVID-19 through reputable
sources such as the NICD, the DBE and the DoH and share this information with all
stakeholders, and monitor the implementation of measures to prevent the spread of
COVID-19.

Reinforce frequent handwashing and proper sanitation practices.

Establish an advocacy programme for learners about COVID-19.

Establish a COVID-19 response team led by the school principal to coordinate all
COVID-19 related activities including internal and external communication.

Place signs or posters encouraging good hand and respiratory hygiene practices.

Ensure that cleaning staff clean and disinfect school buildings thoroughly and regularly,
following the environmental health cleaning and decontamination protocols.

NB: Many schools catering for learners with physical disabilities will have increased “high touch” areas,
including walls, as a result of the needs of learners.

Mana gement of COVID-19 cases

All learners, teachers, non-teaching The suspected symptoms of

staff and everyone entering the COVID-19 are the following: Fever,
school must be screened and coughing, sore throat, difficulty in
sanitized. breathing.

If these symptoms exist the Immediately inform the parents,

learner, teacher or non- teaching guardian or care giver and
staff must immediately be sent request them to come collect the
home or be isolated. child.

3
 Management of C cases in schools

1DBE
- Hygiene and infection control
- Maintain effective communication
- Ensure symptom screening and appropriate
response
- Providing training (assisted by DoH)
- Reporting confirmed case within 6 hours
- Enviromental disinfection

SCHOOL

•COVID-19 Point Person or the School Principal

•School-based Support Team (SBST) or
School Management Team (SMT)

2DOH
- Providing advice and support when requested 3
- Linking schools with professional nurses and
health care facilities
- Providing training
- Manage learners and staff with symptoms 3 PED
- Notify the school of confirmed cases
- Guide interventions to cases or
- Providing contact tracing for confirmed cases
- Seek advice from a provincial or
clusters of COVID-19
national epidemiologist - Decision to class cleanliness
or surfaces in the school

•School Health Teams in Intergrated School

•School health nurse
Health (ISHT) (District/ Provincial) of
•CDC co-ordinator or member of
contact tracing team
contact tracing team
•District/ Provincial Director
•Provincial epidemiologist or NICD

Management of in school hostels

- All learners and hostel staff must be screened.
- Hostel staff must be trained in management of COVID-19.
- Learners, teachers and non-teaching staff must always observe
social distancing.
- There must be a sanitizer at the entrance of each door in the
hostel.
- Soap and 60% alcohol-based sanitizer must be available in the
bathrooms.
- Learners should not share utensils.
- Dormitories and dining areas must be disinfected very often.
- Every person entering a library must wear a mask.
- Every person in the hostel must wear a mask.
.
4
 Management of in learners with
disability

The risk of contracting COVID-19 Depending on underlying health

may be significantly different for conditions and co-morbidities,
learners with co-morbidities and learners with disabidities may be at
learners with disabilities. It is greater risk of developing more
therefore, critical to know, severe cases of COVID-19 if they
understand and implement the become infected. This may be
specific health and safety measures because of COVID-19 exacerbating
required for each unique learner. existing health conditions, particularly
those related to respiratory function,
immune system function, heart
disease or diabetes and barriers to
accessing health care.

Guidelines to deal with disabilities have been developed and are available on the following link:
h t t p s : // w w w . e d u c a t i o n . g o v . z a /

Decontamination
- Areas of the school must be cleaned and disinfected daily.

- Environmental decontamination and disinfection must be conducted in the

work area/classroom where the confirmed COVID-19 (learner or staff
member) has been during the past three days.

- Heavily contaminated areas such as toilets, common areas must also be

disinfected regularly

- High touch surfaces: cell phones, keyboards, gate buzzers, door

handles, light switches, taps, rails must be disinfected regularly.

- All classrooms must be disinfected every change of period.

Le a r n e r Tr a n s p o r t

- Learner Vehicle Operators must make sure that the Vehicles are cleaned and
disinfected
before picking up and after dropping off learners.
- Before embarking learners must be sanitized with 60% alcohol-based sanitizer.

5
 Psychosocial Support for learners, teachers

psychological support.

- Identify learners, teachers and non-teaching staff who

need psychosocial support.
- Symptoms for psychological problems are the following:

Fear
Worry and anxiety
Sadness
Hopelessness
Overwhelming emotions
Withdrawal from others
PSYCHOSOCIAL Expression of rage or anger
SUPPORT Use of drugs or alcohol
Missing work or classes
FOR LEARNERS, Use of drugs or alcohol
TEACHERS AND
- Contact Employee Health and Wellness Programme
Department in your Education Department for
S TA F F psychological support.

What do you do when you identify symptoms that require

emotional support to learners?

- When a learner is identified, an educator can speak

to the learner and check if he or she can provide
emotional or other support, if so then a learner must be
referred to a school counsellor.
- Provide counselling to the learner.
Call a helpline (see contact details below)

What happens to learners who may not return to school

due to disability, comorbidity or parent opting for home
schooling.

- Schools must take appropriate steps to ensure that

learning continues for such children by providing all
platforms available to the school for learning.

L I F E C A N B E D I F F I C U LT S O M E T I M E S , I F Y O U N E E D S O M E O N E T O
TA L K T O Y O U M AY C O N TA C T A N Y O F T H E C A L L C E N T R E S B E L O W :

Child
0800 55 555
Hotline SADAG
Lovelife free plz Suicide Crisis Line
call me 0800 567 567 OR SMS 31393
083 323 1023
Lifeline TOLL Free Substance Abuse Line
086 132 2322 0800 12 13 14 OR SMS 32312