Following a Council of Education Ministers (CEM) virtual meeting held on 19 May, the National Department of Basic Education (DBE) announced that CEM had taken a decision to suspend all contact sports in schools with immediate effect.
DBE indicated in their media release that it had become evident that, notwithstanding the protocols set out in the ‘Directions on Extramural Activities’ and the ‘Standard Operating Procedures on the Prevention, Containment and Management of COVID-19 in Schools’, contact sports events still contribute to the spread of COVID-19.
On Thursday, 20 May 2021, the DBE issued a circular that speaks to the temporary suspension of contact sports. Circular No. S2 of 2021 provides, as indicated in the DBE’s previous media release, that contact sports events still contribute to the spread of COVID-19. According to the DBE, the nationwide increase in positive cases at schools, and the likely advent of a third wave, necessitate the immediate suspension of all contact sport activities.
The ISASA Policy Department has released two memoranda on this topic, which are available for member download:
