Despite the federal government’s directive on school reopening, Imo State government has postponed by one week, resumption of schools in the state because of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

State commissioner for education, Prof. Bernard Ikegwuoha, says the postponement became necessary to curb a further spread of the rising cases in some urban areas of Owerri west and north.

Ikegwuoha says the government has a team of personnel that would ensure strict compliance with COVID-19 protocol when schools reopen in the state.

Elsewhere, in Kaduna State, the government has closed public and private schools till further notice.

Permanent secretary, ministry of education, Phoebe Yayi disclosed in a statement on Monday, that only Kaduna polytechnic and the national open university were exempted because of their examination timetable.

Yayi said no definite date has been set for schools to reopen.

Ghana has reopened schools as it enforces temperature checks and mandatory wearing of masks after ten months of closure. The country’s education ministry and other stakeholders are ensuring adherence to health protocols.

There has been mixed reactions as the government announced the reopening of schools amid surging COVID-19 cases in the country.

Ghana’s health service has reported 58,000 cases since the start of the pandemic, but many believe it is as a result of low testing rate.

President Nana Akufo-Addo has warned that the country may return to a partial lockdown if residents do not adhere to safety and health protocols.

He said on Sunday COVID-19 treatment centres have gone from having zero patients to now being full because of upsurge in infections’.

Malawi has now joined Rwanda to close schools. Authorities say they have shut nursery and primary schools on Monday as coronavirus cases surged. Malawi reported more than 13,000 cases and 321 deaths since the pandemic started last year.

Authorities say a third of those deaths were reported in the past 16 days. After reporting no positive cases for almost two months, the country has seen a sudden resurgence.

Malawi says it will shut schools for at least 15 days and all bars will also close at 8 pm local time.

The government says it was allocating a further 2 million dollars to provide healthcare staff with equipment.

Rwanda closed schools in the capital, Kigali, on Monday. Education minister says schools in other regions would also be shut if more cases are confirmed there.

Meanwhile, the Rwandan government announced on Monday night it has imposed a 15-day lock down in Kigali, as the country battles a second wave of coronavirus cases that has resulted in “unprecedented deaths and transmission rates.” it says in a statement, all movements outside homes in the capital will require an approved permit from the police, except for essential service providers.

Africa has exceeded 3.2 million cases and more than 76,000 deaths. South Africa has the chunk of the infections.