Abu Dhabi: Unvaccinated students in the United Arab Emirates(UAE) will be given a grace period of 30 days from the first day of school to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, officials announced on Sunday.
In a series of tweets, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) has announced guidelines and protocols for children going back to school.
Guidelines and protocols:
- The protocols apply to all educational facilities, including nurseries, day care centers, public and private school education, in addition to public and private higher education and training centers and institutes.
- The protocol will be applied for 30 days from the first day of school to give all unvaccinated individuals an opportunity to take the vaccine.
- During this time, vaccinated and unvaccinated students will be required to take a PCR test every two weeks.
- After 30 days, unvaccinated students under the age of 12 and vaccinated students above the age of 12 will have to take one PCR test a month.
- Parents will be required to download the Alhosn app and present printed PCR and vaccinated certificates to the school.
- Distance learning will be available for vaccinated and unvaccinated students of all ages, who request it.
Additionally, students, teachers and educational staff will also need to sign a health declaration form confirming they do not have COVID-19 and have not been exposed to any positive cases.
The new academic year, 2021-2022 begins on August 29 for most of the schools in the UAE. Currently, 86 per cent of teachers and 84 per cent of the administrative and technical staff have been vaccinated, the NCEMA said.
NCEMA also tweeted that health authorities are following up on the possibility of adding new age groups that will be required to vaccinate during the next stage.
Other announcements have also been made regarding school transport services that must follow all safety measures and capacity limits. Penalties will be imposed if the rules are violated.