SCHOOLS RE-OPEN ON MONDAY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 107, 22 May 1937, Page 7

SCHOOLS RE-OPEN ON MONDAY

-Press Asfioriatloii.!

Minister of Education's Announcement EPIDEMIC DECLIN1NG

iBy TelesrrnrTi-

WELLINGTON, Last Night* _fhe Minister of Health and Education (Hon. P. Fraser) announced to-day that all schools throughout New Zea-; land would reopen at the appointed time after the present vacation, except Ithose in the borough of Gisborne and in jfchat portion of the Wellington Education District. embraeing Wellington Qity ' ;and suburbs, the Hutt Valley up to and iineluding Upper Hutt, Eastbourne, and Day's Bay, and on the western side jsouth of the summit - of Paekakariki jmii. The Minister stated that tha evidenee , available showed that the infantila iparalysis epidemic position wae at laatf ishowiiig definite signs of improvementj iThe public would have noticed that; notifications for. the last week or two had been decidedly f ewer than for somei time past.. His medical advisers had dnformed him that in their opinion the disease would now continue 'to subsidei and that any risk of a ■widespread epi-j demic 'in any ' locality was, to say thej least, uiilikely, although sporadic caseaj would undoubtedly continue to pccur in .all parts of New Zealand for a lpng time, to come. They poinfed out that in previous epidemics the disease did n,ota disappear rapidly, but lingered in the community fpr some time after tha peak of the outbreak had been passed. Wellington and Gisborne, it would bfll . remembeired, were two of the areasj which had been more seriously involvedi than some ,of the other partg of New| Zealand and where school closure and; other restrictiye , measures had beenj deemed necessary, in an endeavour toi stem. the course of the disease. The, measures taken had been largely successf ul, but , the occurrence of several recent cases indicated that the need for these measures had hot yet passed, in tfiose two areas, therefpre schools would remain closed and the other restrictions would continue for another week. It " Was hoped, hqwever, that at the end of nexfc week it would be possible to reopen 'these schools and lift the restrictions, No Additional Restrictions. Mr. Fraser said he wished to make iit. elear that it was not deaired to im,ppse additional restrictions in the case - of Gisborne and Wellington. The even•ing classes at the technical schools in ;the Wellington area would not be inter•fered. with and would resume as formerjly. The Training College students would jalso reassemble at the appointed timo. iThe dental clinies in these two areas, iineluding the dental training clinic, Ihowever, would remain closed. Dental ;nurses stationed in these areas and Student dental nurses will now repprt for duty on Monday, May 31, unless otherwise notified jn *the ineantime. iWhere schools are closed for the addi-, jtipnal week teachers would not nedd to; jreport for duty until the reopening date.j |By the end of next week it was hopedi ithat it would be possible to lift all the .restrictions, but medical. officers of {health would continue to watch the jposition closely and restrictive measures would be jeimposed in any par-| ticular locality, if necessary. j . The Minister stated that he wouldi llike .to take the opportunity of express-, ing appreciation on behalf of himself: .and his departments for the co-operation ,of the public during what had proved, ,a most. trying period for all coucerned, Although his medical officers were not; yet in a position to assess the whole of! • the damage done by the outbreak ofi 'poliomyelitis, it could be said it was not 'so serious as iu other major -epidemicS| 'of the disease which New Zealand badi cxperj.enced in .the' past.