FILE PHOTO: Students hold up bottles of herbal tea in class at a school in Antananarivo, Madagascar, April 23, 2020. /VCG
Madagascar has postponed the reopening of its schools following an increase in COVID-19 infections in the island nation.
Schools were scheduled to reopen on Monday next week, but the new directive by the cabinet will see learners remain at home for longer.
Local media outlets report that some of the learning institutions have been converted into COVID-19 treatment centers.
According to the BBC, weekly markets in the capital, Antananarivo, have also been suspended.
By Thursday, the country had reported 30,207 confirmed COVID-19 infections with 527 deaths.
The island nation is one of the few remaining in Africa that is yet to roll out mass vaccinations.