Mr Renier Loubser said that the case has been contained and both the Departments of Health and Education were satisfied that protocol was followed, no cross contamination took place and that it was safe for other learners to continue going to school.

Mr Loubser refuted claims that he was trying to keep the incident a secret. He explained that he communicated with the parents of learners in the same class as the student who tested positive. The student last attended school on Monday 29 June.

“I did not want to create mass hysteria and as the other children were not at risk, I did not deem it necessary to communicate with their parents,” Mr Loubser said.

“The learner was part of a small class. Classes do not have contact with each other and stay in their own space for the whole of the school day. The learner was already in self isolation when he tested positive and had not had any contact with fellow students since last Monday,” Mr Loubser said.

He said that the school has a very strict sanitising routine which includes mist sanitising machines and the hourly sanitising of bathrooms.

The learner’s parents were proactive and the whole family went in self isolation immediately after the father suspected that he might have Covid-19. Although the learner tested positive, he seems to be asymptomatic displaying no Covid-19 symptoms Mr Loubser said.

He assured parents that he will never keep any Covid-19 risk a secret and that the safety of his teachers, learners and their families are his top priority.