BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA/RICHARD MPONDE PARLIAMENTARIANS yesterday accused government of rashly reopening schools when it was ill-prepared to deal with COVID-19 outbreaks at institutions of learning after a number of students tested positive for the contagion virus at several schools across the country. Schools opened for the final phase a fortnight ago with all pupils now set to attend classes after teachers called off their strike following a 41% pay hike. However, rising COVID-19 cases appear to be the new threat to learning, a few weeks before some pupils sit for examinations. John Tallach Secondary School in Ntabazinduna, Matabeleland North province, recorded 100 cases and Herentals College is reported to have recorded four cases, among other schools across the country. At Chinhoyi University of Technology, seven students reportedly tested positive yesterday. Unimpressed MPs yesterday questioned government’s preparedness to handle the pandemic in schools and why it decided to reopen the schools when it was ill-prepared to manage the outbreaks. “The chairperson of the COVID-19 taskforce, Oppah Muchinguri, said there are enough resources to deal with the pandemic, but it is my submission that we cannot continue, and government cannot risk people’s lives because after school, those children will go and play with other kids,” Norton MP Temba Mliswa (Independent) said. “Why have you gone on to open schools when we do not have enough resources? Why risk when we do not have enough resources?” But Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, who is leader of government business in Parliament, responded: “Resources cannot be enough and that is a fact, but government has channelled resources to the Ministry of Health and designated NatPharm to produce COVID-19 materials. “We cannot then say that we cannot open schools because we do not know when the pandemic will stop. So we put in place procedures so that we continue learning in the new normal. We had to adapt and whatever resources we have, we have channelled them to this pandemic.” Mbizo MP Settlement Chikwinya (MDC Alliance) then asked Ziyambi to explain if schools had COVID-19 testing facilities. This was after Ziyambi had told the House that government would not insist on schoolchildren sitting for examination where there was a danger of loss of life due to the pandemic. “Where schools do not have testing facilities, then they must close because I do not know which school in particular has testing facilities for COVID-19,” Chikwinya said. “Today (yesterday), Herentals College had four students that tested positive for the coronavirus and they were turned back and told to come back to school if they got COVID-19 certificates.” Chikwinya asked: “With the failure by government to equip schools with COVID-19 testing kits, is it not prudent that government should just declare that all schools should be closed? Does government have the capacity to equip all schools with testing kits?” Ziyambi, however, responded: “We have rapid response teams across COVID-19 centres. Where schools can