Closure of Educational Institutions

Abstract

To mitigate the impact of the spread of COVID-19, all educational institutions in Antigua & Barbuda will close early for the Easter Vacation from Monday, 16th March to Friday, 27th March, 2020. The Ministry of Education will continue to monitor the situation, and if the crisis persists, may have to extend beyond the Easter Vacation. Despite best efforts to arrest the spread of COVID-19, we still face uncertainty and the considerable unease brought about by this uncertainty. It is necessary to implement additional changes informed by the recommendations of leading health officials and consistent with education systems around the world. School leadership, teachers, cleaners, security, and all other staff are to report to their respective institutions Monday and Tuesday, 16th and 17th March (and, if needed, and as determined by school leadership, Wednesday, 18th March) to implement MoEST COVID-19 Protocols (published March 13, 2020) in order to work remotely and to prepare schools for cleaning and environmental adjustments for eventual return. The Board of Education, with the support of the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment and the Ministry of Works, will exhaust all options to ensure that all schools are equipped with additional handwashing stations, soap, hand sanitizers, etc. for the reopening...