Grade R girl tests positive: Richards Bay school in lockdown

A Grade R pupil at Richards Bay Primary School in northern KwaZulu-Natal has tested positive for Covid-19. 

Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu confirmed the school was on lockdown after 17 pupils in the same class began showing potential symptoms of infection.

"We can confirm one Grade R learner from Richards Bay Primary tested positive. We understand her mother works at one of the banks and deals with the foreign exchange of money."

Mshengu said the mother of the girl had also tested positive and would have subsequently passed the virus to her daughter, who tested positive on Sunday.

"Tests were released yesterday [Sunday] confirming the learner was positive.

"Seventeen of the learners at school are showing signs related to coronavirus. We received this info this morning and instructed that the school be locked down."

Sources at the school confirmed it had been locked down and that the education department was in touch with school officials. 

TimesLIVE understands the pupil stopped attending school on Tuesday after being unwell for almost a week. 

The national health minister's spokesperson, Dr Lwazi Manzi, said the department was  not aware of the case.