Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the learning of millions of children across the
world. Since March 2020 when the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Zimbabwe, the country,
like many others, has gone through periods of closing and re-opening of schools as part of the
national COVID-19 control and mitigation measures. Schools promote the social, mental, physical,
and moral development of children. With this viewpoint, the authors argue that schools should not be
closed to provide a measured and efficient response to the threats posed by the COVID-19 epidemic.
Rather, infection prevention and control strategies, including vaccination of learners and teachers,
and surveillance in schools should be heightened. The use of multiple prevention strategies discussed
in this viewpoint has shown that when outbreaks in school settings are adequately managed, the
transmission usually is low. The information presented here suggests that schools should remain
open due to the preponderance of evidence indicating the overriding positive impacts of this policy
on the health, development, and wellbeing of children.
