EXTRA: Kwara Poly to rusticate students caught kissing, hugging over COVID-19

The management of Kwara State Polytechnic in Ilorin says it will rusticate students caught violating COVID-19 safety guidelines on campus including kissing, hugging and shaking hands.

The tertiary institutions, through its COVID-19 technical committee, listed sanctionary measures to be meted out to students and staff who violate the safety guidelines within the school premises.

In a notice from the institution, which was confirmed to TheCable Lifestyle by Taiwo Hassan, one of its lecturers, the school management stated that it would be adopting a “no face mask, no entry” mantra.

The sanction put in place for raising a false alarm, failure to wear a face mask, non-observance of social distancing, handshaking, hugging, kissing, and stigmatisation is rustication for one semester.

It also said that students could be rusticated for a session if they engaged in acts of insubordination.

For staff, failure to wear a face mask, non-observance to social distancing, handshaking, kissing, or hugging attracts a N1,000 fine, a warning letter, or public display of their names as violators.

In turn, stigmatisation of suspected COVID-19 patients and the raising of false alarm among staff was said to be capable of attracting the forfeiture of one month’s salary and/or a warning letter.

“As part of the preparation for the resumption of activities and prevention of further spreading of the virus in our campus, the technical committee on the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 Kwara State Polytechnic enjoins staff to observe the enabling health safety instructions of no face mas, no entry before entry at gate, offices, lecture rooms and other duty posts,” the notice read.

Kwara Poly’s measures come ahead of its resumption of activities on October 12. It also follows as the federal government approved the reopening of schools after their shutdown back in March.