VIDEO: UAE schools, establishments must notify authorities about COVID-19 infected persons

The Federal Public Prosecution has clarified that it was obligatory on the principal of an educational institution or the manager of an establishment to inform the health authorities if a student or worker was found infected with a communicable disease such as COVID-19.

In a video post published on its accounts on social media (uae_pp@), the Public Prosecution invoked Article 12 of the Federal Law No 14 of 2014 concerning Prevention of Communicable Diseases which stipulates: "If a director of an educational institution or any other facility suspects any student or employee has been infected with a communicable disease, he must refer the suspected person to the specialist doctor for examination and provide him with a report stating his/her disease.

"If it is proven that the person has this disease, the director must inform the Ministry of Health and Prevention or the competent health department immediately and take the appropriate measures to prevent the spread of the disease."

"The director, the Ministry of Health and Prevention or the competent health department must isolate the infected person and his contacts or put them under quarantine, whether by preventing them from entering the facility or by using any other means to prevent them from coming in contact with others during the period stated by the authorities, or those determined by the department under the ministry," the article states.

The article also says that the director was within his rights to refuse entry to the infected person into the facility until he or she had fulfilled all conditions determined by the ministry or the health department.