This Wednesday morning, there was a considerable influx of students on the streets of Luanda, Lusa found on a tour of schools in the capital.
At school 1206, in the municipality of Ingombota, in central Luanda, several children returned to school, by 07h30, accompanied by their guardians, some still fearful, to check the biosecurity conditions in place, unlike children.
In the school grounds, at the entrance, three points for washing hands with soap and water were installed, while the teachers, with an exclusive entrance, could use a device for the distribution of alcohol gel.
Filipe Mesquita, the school's director, was providing explanations to parents at the school's entrance. Some left their children in class, but others preferred to wait for the two hours of classes.
In statements to the Lusa agency, Filipe Mesquita considered surprising the number of students who returned to classes this Wednesday, after the lifting of restrictions by the Government, under the relief of restriction measures to contain the pandemic of covid-19.
"For today, the first day, surprisingly, we have an average of 45 percent student flow, right into the first round. We can expect, for the second shift, which goes from 10 am onwards and then in the afternoon period, (...) maybe an influx with even more students," he said.
According to Filipe Mesquita, the school had been preparing for quite some time and, in fact, never stopped its teaching system, being since October working with the students at a distance.
"Even without the face-to-face classes we have been monitoring them, that's why we are having this influx, and because we have already started the exam classes, then the security measures are at 80 percent," he stressed.
In addition to the trust placed by parents and guardians in the school management, the reduction, in recent days, of the number of cases of covid-19 is the basis for the peaceful return of students, considered Filipe Mesquita.
Divided into two groups, with up to 25 students in each class, properly separated, the students began the first 20 minutes of class with an awareness about the disease, and this week is dedicated to reviewing the tasks.
"The teaching process hasn't stopped, it's not a start of classes, it's a restart. The second quarter began on January 4 (...) and as this is a time of exams, for some students, who are already in the exam class, as they did not have face-to-face classes, they are having a review because of everything that was done at a distance," she explained.
Ivone Ferreira took her son, a first grade student, to school to check the conditions and was pleased to find water for hand washing and the temperature gauge at the entrance, considering that the conditions are in place.
For almost a year at home, Ivone Ferreira said that her son always fulfilled the tasks given by the school.
"I always came to pick up the tasks for him and the teacher was always giving encouragement," she said.
For his part, Demércio Chiwaiangue said that it was with satisfaction, but also slight concern that he took his daughter to school and, therefore, made a point of personally monitoring the return to school.
"I am satisfied because the biosecurity measures are safeguarded. There was a whole exercise by the school management, all that possible and imaginary effort to create all the conditions, so that the beginning of classes was resumed in the best possible way", he mentioned.
According to Demércio Chiwaiangue, the students were worried and anxious about the return to classes and the reunion with classmates and teachers was important.
"At first I was really worried, but we have been following through the media the decrease in the statistics of the cases of covid-19, and that made us quite comfortable. Here at the school we also see that the conditions are in place and that makes us happy as caretakers," he stressed.
While at home, Demércio Chiwaiangue has created minimal conditions for school attendance, such as a tutor and direct contact with the school.
"From coming here to pick up the assignments and everything else and we haven't noticed any difficulties. The tasks are safeguarded, she is satisfied, and we are grateful for the initiative of returning to school because we couldn't see any other way out, we were really worried," she said.
The teacher Suzete Piedade was also happy to see her "children" again.
"For me it was a great joy, a lot of joy, it was what I most wanted, to see my children, even though I'm with them for the second year, we started initiation, and it was a joy to see my children, there were times that parents called me so the kids could talk to me because they missed their teacher so much", she said.
Glória da Silva Madaleno, a third grader, expressed her satisfaction for returning to school because she was missing her teacher and classmates.
"Despite the pandemic, that we can't hug each other, but I already take comfort in being able to see them," she mentioned.
Asked if at any time she was afraid to return to school, she replied that she was not, because "God is with the students and teachers."
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the country has recorded a total of 20,163 cases of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection, including 478 covid-19 associated deaths.
