After school holidays were hastily brought forward amid the third wave of Covid-19 and lockdown Level 4, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) announced on Saturday it was going ahead with plans to reopen schools on Monday, 26 July. Minister Angie Motshekga said school management teams and support staff had already gone back to work on Thursday, 22 July, to prepare for the return of learners and teachers. The announcement was made contingent on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address on Sunday evening, during which he confirmed that schools would indeed resume on Monday when South Africa shifts to Adjusted Alert Level 3. Grades R to 7 will resume daily school attendance from 2 August as per directions gazetted by the department on 15 July.