AFTER Holy Childhood High School (HCHS) sent students home yesterday “to facilitate sanitisation of the campus”, one nervous mother was seen spraying her child with disinfectant before allowing her to enter her vehicle.

She later explained to the Jamaica Observer that she was very nervous but trying her best to do all she can do prevent being infected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

“I am trying to stay positive, do all I need to do and sensitise my kids to all they need to do,” she said.

At about 10:25 am yesterday, parents were sent a text message from the school advising, “HCHS classes will be suspended at 10:40 am to facilitate sanitisation of the campus. School reopens tomorrow at the regular time. Check your e-mail.”

When the Observer visited the school, some parents seem resigned to the sudden disruption in their regular routine, saying it is far too late to panic. “The lady who had the disease first was out and about for about five days before her status was confirmed so she would have come in contact with several people over those days. Panicking now is kind of late to me,” said one mother. “It already spread from her alone. Allegedly, she hung out with her babyfather, who is a bus driver, and he would interact with other people, and so on. I just think at this point the most we can do is be safe, but not panic.”

Another parent agreed.

“We can’t stop it. We have to [come in contact] with money and all sorts of things. The best thing to do is take precautions. The lady weh did have it, she come down pan di plane, through the airport, and wherever else. We have to also just pray to God that we nuh catch it,” the parent said.

Some students said they were less worried about contracting the virus than about the school administration’s failure to inform them about why school was being dismissed.

“We heard that a girl in grade 9 has corona [COVID-19]. Then we heard another girl in grade seven is showing symptoms. Today, we were in a section of the school and we only heard, ‘Ladies go to your form room. Ladies go to your form room.’ When we were in the class, they did the prayer and told us we were dismissed. That was it,” the grade seven student said.

“Nobody is telling us what is happening, and when we ask, they are going to tell us that we are too young or we should ask our parents,” the student noted, adding that she also believes the school’s administration took too long to act.

According to the child, there was no water on campus for two days and proper hygiene could not be practised.

“How can they be telling us to constantly wash our hands and there was no water here for two days and school was still in session,” the child questioned, adding that school should have been dismissed as soon as there was an issue with accessing water.

Attempts to get a comment from the school’s administration proved futile.