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The National Department of Health has retracted a directive contained in a media statement on Wednesday that school children should no longer wear masks in class.
In a statement, the Department said a “regrettable human error” led to the confusion created. It said the “removal of face mask-wearing by children at school,” was not part of the gazetted health regulations.
Spokesperson, Foster Mohale, said “it was “therefore retracted to avoid any misunderstanding of the regulations.”
Mohale said children like other people are expected to continue complying with the provisions of Regulation 16A on face masks in the classrooms and general indoor gatherings, unlike outdoors in playgrounds and sports fields.
“Face masks are an effective non-pharmaceutical intervention against the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and it is more relevant now as the number of COVID-19 positive cases is rising once again,” he said.
