UAE schools scrap social distancing and thermal scanning for new academic year

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The UAE National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) has issued guidelines for students, teachers and administrative staff for the new academic year 2022-2023.

The authorities said that the mandatory mask is maintained inside closed spaces, and the option of remote learning and work is available for students and administrative and educational staff who have been infected with Covid-19 or who have respiratory symptoms until a medical examination is performed.

The authorities said that we are all preparing for the start of the new school year 2022-2023 early next week, and more than one million students and 65,000 educational cadres are enrolled to complete their educational journey after we have completed all preparations to secure the safe return of our students and cadres to educational facilities.

In order to preserve the safety of students and the educational community as a whole, the national protocol for the operation of educational facilities for the academic year 2022-2023 has been updated to ensure the preservation of the great successes achieved by our country in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the previous period, we saw the extent of the concerted national efforts by all concerned parties, and we witnessed their readiness and readiness to face all repercussions with professionalism and flexibility.

A child smiles during a class at a school in Dubai.

The experts said, “We, as a society of the UAE, have to contribute to preserving the achievements and gains made to us by our dear country, and to promote the concept of self-responsibility among our students so that their return to school is safe, in order to preserve the health and safety of all.”

The authorities said, “We call upon parents and educational cadres of the importance of committing to applying all preventive measures and educating students about them in order to preserve recovery efforts and ensure their sustainability.

“We thank our educational community and the entire Emirati community, citizens and residents, for their commitment throughout the past period, and even since the emergence of the pandemic, which made us respond to it in the best forms of community solidarity, under the direct supervision and follow-up of the concerned authorities in the country and our rational leadership.”

The following are the rules:

— Students from the age of 12 years and above, educational and administrative staff, and service providers are required to obtain a negative result for the COVID-19 PCR test for a period not exceeding 96 hours from the first school day without the need to conduct a periodic test, as the emergence of symptoms only will require conducting the test.

— All students, including the non-vaccinated, for health reasons or excluded from vaccination, are allowed to join in person learning.

— Green pass is required to enter the university campus for the non-vaccinated due to health reasons or who are excluded from vaccination.

— Canceling the physical distancing inside educational facilities, and each facility decides according to its capacity, and this applies to school buses.

— Wearing facemask will continue mandatory inside closed spaces, and the option of distance learning is available for students and educational and administrative staff 8nfected with COVID-19 or those who are suffering from respiratory symptoms until a medical examination is conducted. Also, bus drivers and supervisors must abide by public safety procedures such as wearing masks and sterilizing hands regularly.