YAOUNDE, Cameroon

Schools and universities in the Democratic Republic of Congo reopened on Monday after more than four months of suspension amid the coronavirus pandemic.

President Felix Tshisekedi visited some of the schools in the capital Kinshasa, where he congratulated and thanked the Education Ministry for their efforts to ensure the reopening of schools that were closed in March due to the coronavirus.

“We ask you to be careful. We have lifted the state of emergency, but the virus is still there,” Tshisekedi told students at the Athenee De La Gombe Eligo Secondary School.

‘’It is true that young people are resilient, but they can be carriers. Avoid manual contact and wash your hands. Do everything not to get infected, you risk infecting your families,” he added.

Tshisekedi also visited Kinshasa University.

The resumption of schools was initially scheduled for Aug. 3, but it was postponed due to “technical and administrative reasons,” according to Willy Bakonga, the education minister.

The Central African country has so far recorded 9,454 coronavirus cases, with 224 deaths and 8,324 recoveries, according to the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.