Amid reports of an increase in the number of students showing signs of respiratory illnesses at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) in Portland, the Ministry of Education and Youth has indicated that the administration contacted the Ministry of Health and Wellness and a team visited the campus for checks.

In a statement this morning, the education ministry said the health ministry indicated that results from the COVID-19 tests done on several of the students were negative.

SCHOOL POPULATION URGED TO FOLLOW ADVISORIES

The health ministry said that the school administration was encouraged to have the campus population practise good hygiene – for example, regular hand washing, social distancing and mask wearing as was done during the COVID-19 pandemic, given the fact that it is a boarding institution and not all students are able to go home and commute to school.

The CASE administration has indicated that it has since encouraged the school population to follow the advisories, including the wearing of masks, even though the health ministry did not issue a mask mandate.