Latest: Which countries are vaccinating young children against Covid-19?
Pupils in the UAE will have a 30-day grace period to be inoculated against Covid-19 when schools reopen, before weekly PCR testing becomes mandatory for unvaccinated children over 12.
After the grace period, vaccinated pupils over 12 will be tested every month, as will schoolchildren between 3 and 12 who have not been inoculated.
It is part of amended Covid-19 regulations designed to ensure that wherever possible, pupils can have in-person lessons when the school year begins on August 29.
Saliva tests, rather than PCR swabs, have been used on younger children in recent months.
Dubai's private schools, which have their own school regulator, are not thought to be affected by the decision.
It is very important we prepare all pupils to attend classes face to face to ensure their education
Dr Farida Al Hosani
At a briefing on Sunday, Dr Farida Al Hosani, the federal government's health spokeswoman, urged “all children aged 3 to 17 to get the vaccine”.
She advised parents to arrange for their children to get vaccinated in the coming weeks.
“It is very important we prepare all pupils to attend classes face to face to ensure their education,” she said.
Despite that, Dr Al Hosani said distance learning remains an option for “all vaccinated and unvaccinated pupils".
The 30-day grace period would give families until the end of September for their children to get both shots. During that time, all unvaccinated pupils will undergo a test every two weeks.
China's Sinopharm vaccine was approved for use in children aged 3 to 17 in early August, following a trial that involved 900 young people in Abu Dhabi.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is available for over 12s.
Al Hosn app for school pupils
The National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority detailed the latest developments on Twitter on Sunday.
Parents were asked to download the Al Hosn testing app for their children to ensure schools can see proof of vaccination and regular testing.
The app has become central to Abu Dhabi's vaccine and testing regime, including the latest rules introduced on August 20, and has seen some use in airports and bars and clubs in other emirates.
Parents will be required to print out and present PCR and vaccination certificates, in addition to downloading the app.
Dr Al Hosani said a task force of inspectors will monitor the back-to-school process and testing and vaccine requirements. Schools are required to keep social distancing of one metre and to have an isolation room for suspected cases.
She further said 86 per cent of teachers were now vaccinated and that the government was “working to reach 100 per cent very soon”. About 73 per cent of the overall population is vaccinated, the most recent figures show.
Children and teachers will be required to sign a form stating that have not knowingly been in recent contact with someone with the virus.
Masks must to be worn in all public places, including classrooms and should only be removed when eating.
She thanked schools across the country and said staff and teachers were “heroes” who had ensured children had not fallen behind in the past 18 months.
“The experience of distance learning proved to be successful despite the pandemic,” she said.
“We extend our deepest thanks for all of the heroes working on the front lines of education ... and start the new academic year by stressing the importance of all of the achievements in the past year.”
In September 2020, schools in most of the emirates reopened. But many returned to distance learning, or a hybrid model, at various times throughout the year as individual cases were detected.
At the end of the term 2021, for example, about half of pupils in Dubai were back in class, the authorities said, with the remainder learning from home.
Following a flurry of vaccinations among young people late last term, schools hope the vast majority will return to face-to-face learning once again soon.
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
RACECARD%20
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The view from The National
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
