Guinea schools reopen, but Ebola fears still keep many home

CONAKRY — Schools that shuttered during the height of the Ebola crisis in Guinea reopen, but many parents are still too afraid to send their children for fear of infection.

Idrissa Diallo, a spokesman for a parents association in the capital, said today (Jan 19) that fear and panic broke out when masked workers were seen spraying the classrooms. As a result, he said many pupils stayed at home.

The workers cleaning up classrooms to reopen, though, expressed frustration that their efforts were in vain. Worker Nafiou Bah said he doesn’t understand why parents would think schools would reopen if it were not safe to do so.

School employees were taking the temperatures of everyone who came and only those with normal readings were allowed to attend class. AP