The Lagos State Government on Tuesday said it was yet to take a position on the recent directive by the Federal Government that schools across the country should resume on September 22.
Dr. Jide Idris, the state Commissioner for Health, made the statement in Ikeja while addressing newsmen on the Ebola Virus Disease in the state.
Idris said the issue was before the State Executive Council and that government would soon make a pronouncement on whether schools in the state would resume on the date or not.
The Federal Government recently reversed resumption date of schools nationwide to September 22 from the earlier date of October 13 as part of measures to contain the Ebola virus.
Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, the Minister of Education, while announcing the reversal in Abuja, said the government shifted the date backwards as the virus had been significantly contained.
The decision has since attracted criticisms from the Nigeria Medical Association and other stakeholders who argued that surveillance of the disease was still ongoing and schools were not safe yet.
Idris said that although the directive was from the Federal Government, the decision on whether schools in state would comply would be made by state government.
He said: “On the resumption date of schools, we in Lagos have not taken a position yet.
“The state government would soon come out whether schools would resume on the date fixed by the Federal Government or not.”
The commissioner said that although government was not yet definite on the resumption of schools, it was already putting in place measures to check the threats of the virus in schools.
Idris said government had met schools proprietors, school heads and teachers on what they should do to eliminate the Ebola threat in their respective schools.
He added that the government was also providing pipe-borne water to schools and constructing toilet facilities to enhance sanitation of schools.
The commissioner advised parents not to allow their sick children to go school as keeping away sick children and taking them to the hospital would help contain the disease.
He said: “Like we have always said, somebody with the Ebola virus will be too weak to play around.
“We advise parents not to take their sick children to schools as keeping away sick children will help contain the virus.”
The commissioner urged residents to partner with the state government in completely eliminating the Ebola threat in the state.
Idris urged residents to report suspected cases of Ebola virus to the appropriate authorities for government`s intervention.
Idris also advised residents against the consumption of monkeys, bats and other animals that had been proven to be sources of the virus.
The commissioner said the threat of the virus would be reduced if people complied with government`s safety instructions in burying their dead persons.
Idris said so far the virus had claimed five lives in the state and that the state government was doing its best to make the state Ebola free.