Six Northern Cape schools are closed following a high infection rate among pupils and schools staff.

Last week, the province's schools had 339 new Covid-19 cases. Of these, 36 educators tested positive, while 289 pupils and 14 support staff were infected.

"A total of six schools are currently closed in the province and scheduled to reopen during the course of this week. The high infection rate, especially among our learners, is very concerning, and we appeal to parents and school communities to limit movement or social interaction of our learners while at home," said provincial education department spokesperson Geoffrey van der Merwe.

Van der Merwe added that schools were a microcosm of society and mirrored the level of infections in our communities,

As of Sunday, the Northern Cape had recorded 578 new cases. The province has had a total of 80 666 Covid-19 cases.

For the school week of 13 to 20 August, the department said it had experienced a resurgence in Covid-19 infections, with 526 new cases reported. This resulted in the closures of eight schools.

"The Northern Cape Department of Education is working tirelessly to normalise learning and teaching at our schools. While the number of Covid-19 infections in our schools remains fairly high, we are satisfied with the manner in which our schools are managing and responding to these incidents at the level of our schools," said Van der Merwe.

The education department encouraged pupils older than 18 to register for vaccination.

"If your child is 18 years and above,  register them on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) for the public vaccination programme for this specific age group. The vaccination has proven to be safe, and it provides a mechanism through which we can protect ourselves against the Covid-19 pandemic," Van der Merwe added.

He urged continued adherence to the non-pharmaceutical interventions like wearing masks, sanitising and washing hands regularly, and maintaining social distancing.