Education chiefs in Abu Dhabi have urged parents to avoid large gatherings and ensure children's play dates are closely monitored to combat the spread of Covid-19.
The Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek), the emirate's private school regulator, said "best judgement" should be used when deciding to send a pupil to class.
Officials advised that children should remain at home if anyone in their household is feeling unwell or displaying symptoms of the virus.
While the majority of children aged between four and 11 returned to in-person classes on August 30 in Abu Dhabi, pupils in high school are expected to return to class in late September or early October under a staggered plan.
Parents have the option of continuing distance learning for the duration of the first term of the academic year.
"Parents can [show] support by ensuring that they limit any potential exposure to Covid-19. This means staying away from crowded areas and avoiding large gatherings," an Adek spokesperson told The National.
"If your child is participating in extra-curricular activities or play dates, please ensure that they follow hygiene and social-distancing measures diligently.
"We ask parents to use their best judgement on the health status of their children every single day before going to school. If anyone in a family is unwell, or displaying any symptoms of Covid-19, please stay at home."
If children feel unwell, or have been in contact with anyone who has tested positive for Covid-19, parents have been asked to inform the school immediately.
"It is best when in doubt to stay home and see a doctor until you get better or are cleared by a medical professional to be healthy enough to go to school."
Adek is also asking parents to show caution regarding potential Covid-19 cases at schools.
"We ask parents to avoid the spread of misinformation within parent groups and the wider community as we do not want to cause unnecessary panic," said the Adek spokesperson.
"We also trust parents to remain vigilant and continue practicing social distancing and wearing their masks in public."
Parents have been asked to monitor their children's temperature and check if they are have any Covid-19 symptoms such as cough, breathing difficulty or body aches.
"Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff is a collective responsibility and we rely on parents to maintain social distancing, wear masks and fully adhere to safety protocols and procedures," said the spokesperson.
To reduce risk, parents are not allowed inside the school building, and must adhere to strict guidelines for drop-off and pick-up in designated areas such as outside of the school gates or on sports fields.
They may only enter the school building by appointment and with a negative Covid-19 test.
Last week, some schools across the UAE resumed distance learning as a precaution after some staff were suspected to have contracted Covid-19.
The schools, which are in different emirates, closed classrooms to protect staff and pupils.
On Tuesday, authorities renewed their warning against social gatherings after a Covid-19 carrier's "reckless behaviour" resulted in 45 others being infected.
The man displayed symptoms but did not report his condition to health officials, said Dr Omar Al Hammadi, the federal government's spokesman said at the regular media briefing.
The man infected his wife and 44 others from three families after socialising with them.
One of the man's relatives, aged 90, had underlying health conditions and died of complications after being admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital, Dr Al Hammadi said.
The UAE recorded 883 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, its highest daily total since May 27.
Daily figures dropped as low as 164 in early August but have steadily been climbing since, prompting calls from authorities for the public to adhere to safety measures.
The years Ramadan fell in May
The years Ramadan fell in May
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More coverage from the Future Forum
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
More on animal trafficking
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Read more about the coronavirus
