The Katsina State Government on Friday trained over 400 headmasters, headmistresses, and principals of various public and private primary and secondary schools.

The officials were selected across the 34 Local Government Areas of the state to be trained on COVID-19 protocols, in preparation for school reopening.

The State Commissioner of Information Culture and Home Affairs, Abdulkarim Sirika disclosed this to Newspot on Friday.

Sirika who is also the Chairman of the Publicity and Risk Management Committee on COVID-19 in the state said the essence of the training is to sensitise and prepare the stakeholders, so that when schools reopen they will pass across the information received and ensure students observe the NCDC protocols.

He said the training which was held in two different locations has 200 participants. “One is taking place at the Katsina Local Government Service Commission and the other one at the Umaru Musa’Yaradu’a University, Katsina. So they are scattered”.

He revealed that after the workshop, there is going to be a step-down training where those that are trained will extend the same training to their respective local communities.

In Katsina state, where cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in all the LGAs of the state, over 20,000 samples have so far been tested with 864 positive cases recorded and 24 deaths.

In the past weeks, the state has witnessed a decline in the number of positive cases of the virus where the health team manages the few positive cases recorded so far on a home care basis.

Katsina State Government had earlier on Tuesday, September 29 directed all public and private primary and secondary schools in the state to reopen from October 5, 2020.

Upon resumption, all schools are expected to operate on shift basis except when students are few. Students must always be encouraged to wear facemasks, maintain social distancing, and other safety protocols.