Daily routine affected

COVID-19, a foreign-born disease, has shocked the nation and forced the country into lockdown.
The lockdown adversely affected the country’s social and economic activities.
The situation brought many unexpected challenges that individuals and families struggled to find ways to withstand.
The daily survival activities to earn income have also been disrupted and disadvantaged.
Business houses and companies scaled down their operations laying off employees which forced families into hunger.
The Government also announced for schools to resume classes beginning May 4.
The decision may not go down well with many of the teachers, students, parents as the fear for the virus still exists.
Many parents may be reluctant to allow their children to go back to school as they too might be infected if their children are infected.
Social distancing in classrooms may not be practicable for many overcrowded classrooms in PNG schools.
Most of the students in towns and cities travel by PMVs to schools.
PMVs do not have the space required to practice social distancing.
Children between the ages of 5-7 years attending kindergarten and elementary may not feel comfortable to use face masks and hand gloves and may lead to suffocation in the process of wearing face mask.
Suspending classes this year may be one of the measures to avoid contracting and spreading the virus.
But it may not be a workable solution for PNG in terms of development and progression.
The perception of schools suspending lower grades and keeping the upper grades is impractical as it will lead to regression.
The Education Department should come out clear on the measures it will take to ensure our children’s health and learning are unaffected.
The schools should also be informed of what they should be doing at their level to protect the students from contracting the virus.
Besides washing hands with soap, sneezing or coughing into elbows, social distancing, wearing of face masks and gloves, comprehensive measures should be taken by schools to protect and promote the health, safety and learning of the students.
The future is unforeseeable and might be very devastating than the current state if it is not carefully handled.
All necessary precautionary measures should be taken by all stakeholders in ensuring that our children’s health and education are protected and promoted at all cost.

Waugo Mack,
Lae, Morobe