ST JAMES, Jamaica — School officials say face-to-face classes will resume at Cornwall College this Wednesday and they have taken back control of the school’s canteen.

The school informed parents and stakeholders of the change in a memo dated February 21, an update after the canteen’s closure pushed classes online on February 20.

The school has however dismissed claims that the canteen was shuttered by the health department.

“To resolve this matter, the administration has engaged in multiple meetings with senior staff, senior members of the St James Public Health Department, and the Ministry of Education officer responsible for the school. Based on these discussions, a decision has been made to transition the management and operation of the canteen and tuck shop back to the school,” it said.

According to a Jamaica Observer source close to the school’s hierarchy, both sides agreed that concessionaires would no longer run the canteen.

Last week, the health department had indicated that it was working closely with the school and face-to-face classes could possibly resume by last Friday.

For its part, the school said the decision to shutter the canteen was voluntary. It said that decision was taken by the then concessionaire after the health department asked it to address a number of issues after a February 19 inspection.

These included complete isolation between the canteen and the accompanying tuck shop by sealing the entire area, rather than just a section; improvements to kitchen ventilation to reduce heat; and enhancement in food storage practices and routine cleaning of the facility.

“The canteen operator voluntarily closed the facility to implement these modifications. It is important to note that no enforcement order was issued by the Public Health Department to close the canteen. The decision to temporarily cease operations was made by the concessionaire upon receiving the recommendations,” said the February 21 memo.

– Horace Hines