• Daily screening of staff members and learners: The school conducts body temperature screenings, mask checks and hand disinfection of all staff members, learners and visitors of the DSK upon entry – dedicated staff members will be doing the screening daily.
• Access to the school building: Access to and traffic within the school grounds is restricted to reduce the movement of people.

• Parents/ legal guardians are obliged to examine their children daily for symptoms of illness (e.g. fever, cough, difficulty breathing, diarrhoea, impaired sense of smell and taste, body aches, weakness, etc.) before sending them to school. If even one of these symptoms applies, the learner must not be sent to school or enter the school premises and must of course also not use the school bus.
• The parents/ legal guardians agree that we screen the learners for symptoms of illness (e.g. infrared temperature measurement) before entering the school building and throughout the school day. If there is a symptom, e.g. if the measured body temperature is above 37.5°C, these learners are isolated and must be picked up by the parents immediately.
• If you suspect that your child, yourself or someone you have been in contact with within the past 14 days may have developed COVID-19 or tested positive for COVID-19, you are to inform the school immediately. Your child will not be able to participate in face-to-face classes until there is no longer any risk of infection for classmates and DSK staff members. The information transmitted to us in this context is, of course, treated confidentially and processed only in accordance with the applicable data protection regulations or statutory reporting requirements.
• If learners show symptoms of COVID-19 during school attendance, we are obliged to isolate them and request an immediate pick-up by the parents or an ambulance.
• Should learners violate the regulations in connection with the COVID-19 protection and hygiene measures, they will be excluded from further participation in classroom teaching/ learning and must be picked up by the parents immediately.
• Entering and staying on the school premises as well as using the school bus is only permitted with mouth and nose protection (face mask). Should a replacement become necessary during the day, we will provide (as an emergency backup) mouth and nose protection (face mask).
• Each student must also bring a small amount of hand sanitiser (at least 70% alcohol) to the classroom as an emergency backup.
• A high level of safety and hygiene can however only be maintained if each and every member of our school community does their personal bit to uphold a high level of personal hygiene and social distancing.
• Parents/ legal guardians are obliged to examine their children daily for symptoms of illness (e.g. fever, cough, difficulty breathing, diarrhoea, impaired sense of smell and taste, body aches, weakness, etc.) before sending them to school. If even one of these symptoms applies, the learner must not be sent to school or enter the school premises and must of course also not use the school bus.

• All learners will attend classes in their designated classrooms and/ or subject-specific rooms.
• Classrooms will be prepared to allow for enough space between the learners.
• All classrooms in use will be supplied with hand sanitiser and a sanitiser spray for desks, special electronic/ IT equipment (keyboards etc)

• A high level of safety and hygiene can however only be maintained when each and every member of our school community does their personal bit to uphold a high level of personal hygiene and social distancing. We, therefore, ask you to:
  • Wear a mask at all times.
  • Wash hands regularly and with soap and use hand sanitiser afterwards
  • Stay home if you feel unwell and self-isolate/ get tested
  • Inform us if your child is sick and cannot attend school (+27 (0)21 480 3830 / info@dsk.co.za )
  • Should your child fall ill at school, please collect him/ her IMMEDIATELY. Prolonged exposure to other peers or members of the school community will increase the risk of infection
  • Only a few classrooms will be used. Learners/ classes will be assigned fixed classrooms as well as break rooms.
  • Classrooms will be prepared to allow for enough space between the learners. i.e desks will be allocated to specific learners by means of a nametag sticker
  • All classrooms in use will be supplied with medical gloves, hand sanitiser and a sanitiser spray for special electronic/ IT equipment (keyboards etc)

• Keep in mind that most other virus infections start with exactly the same symptoms as COVID-19. As we are entering winter, normal flue infections will increase as well and just because you are feeling unwell, does not mean that you have contracted the Corona Virus. So your first step should be to stay home, stay calm and self-isolate. Here is a link to the official website of the Western Cape government with useful information on hotlines, news and statistics:

• What signs/symptoms to look out for?

1. Do you have a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or higher?
2. Do you suffer from a dry cough or a sore throat?
3. Are you short of breath, wheezing or do you have difficulty breathing?

What questions to ask yourself?

1. Were you in close contact with a person that was confirmed with COVID-19 or could possibly have been infected?
2. The current travel ban should prevent everyone from travelling, but you should still ask yourself whether there is a possibility of you having been in contact with someone who might have been travelling (repatriated etc.)?
3. Have you been to healthcare facilities or in contact with healthcare workers where COVID-19 patients were being treated?

Who to call?

If you show any of the above symptoms, please call your GP/ doctor or health facility to notify them about your symptoms as well as possible exposure before you go to your appointment. DO NOT JUST ARRIVE.

 Official hotlines for any COVID-19 related questions.
All lines are operational 24/7
Provincial Hotline: 021 928 4102
National Hotline: 0800 029999

Do I have to tell the school when I get sick?

1. Phoning in an absent learner due to any form of illness is obligatory. Please contact reception on +27 (0)21 480 3830 first thing in the morning so that your child can be properly excused and marked as absent.
2. Should you, your child who is a learner at our school or their siblings test positive for COVID-19, please contact the school IMMEDIATELY. All names and information will be treated strictly confidentially but school management has to know of possible infections within the school community to take the necessary safety precautions. All COVID-19 related sick notifications should, therefore, be directed to the school secretary on secretary@dsk.co.za.

General Health/ COVID-19 information
As we are aware of the overflow of circulating information regarding COVID-19 on all social media platforms, we would like to urge you to be wary of fake news and sensationalism. Only trust reliable sources like the official local news or SA government gazettes. We are just as at the mercy of these information channels as you are and cannot give any professional medical advice. The above should therefore only be seen as guidelines. School management will keep you informed of any news or regulations directly affecting the running of and teaching at the DSK. Please do not react to hearsay or privately generated messages