All pupils and staff will have to undergo a swab test to prove they are free of Covid-19 before they return to classrooms in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge confirmed pupils will have to take a test before they are allowed to enter the classroom.
Pupils and staff will be routinely screened for infection to ensure their safety, the authority said.
"We have recently issued our private school reopening policies and guidelines which detail procedures for schools prior to the resumption of in-class teaching," the authority said.
“In line with measures implemented by the UAE government, Adek’s policies also stipulate that all private school staff and pupils in the emirate of Abu Dhabi must declare their recent travel history and undergo Covid-19 testing prior to returning to the school premises."
Under the department's guidelines, pupils over the age of 6 must wear masks throughout the school day when they return after the summer.
Pupils' temperatures will also be checked daily with a non-contact thermometer before they enter school.
Pupils aged 6 and above equates to to grade 1, or year 2 in the British system.
“If your child is unable to wear a mask, they may be allowed to wear a face shield if supported by a medical certificate," the guidelines said.
“Children of determination with hearing impairments may use transparent masks.”
Pupils must bring at least two masks to school to wear during the day and carry a 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based sanitiser with them, if they can.
Gloves are not recommended but may be worn, and pupils must remain 1.5 metres apart at all times.
Younger children who may find it difficult to maintain social distancing in kindergarten and the early primary grades may be grouped into bubbles of up to 10 pupils.
"A bubble is a group of pupils and staff member who spend the entire day together and do not interact with others," the authority said.
It is likely that classes will be split into two or more groups to accommodate social distancing. Children will remain in their group until the end of the pandemic.
The department said some schools may convert non-teaching areas such as gymnasiums and libraries into classrooms.
Pupils will receive regular breaks which will "likely be very different from what they experienced in pre-Covid times".
Swings, slides and other playground equipment may not be available for an initial period after reopening “to reduce the chances of cross contamination”.
"Children will be allowed to take off their masks to have lunch under supervision," the authority said.
PE lessons will be suspended until further notice and schools may offer fewer subjects such as music, art and performing arts, the authority said.
Sessions will, however, be offered to children on topics such as cyber safety, dealing with loss and/or bereavement and anxiety "to support them in navigating these challenging times", the authority said.
Schools have been given the choice to allow children into school full time; on alternating days, for half days; alternating weeks; or a combination of the above.
Schools must decide and have their plans approved by the authority before they let parents know, by July 30, which model they will follow.
Full distance-learning will not be an option and all children must be enrolled in school, as opposed to being taught at home by their parents.
Children who are being schooled at home in the new academic year run the risk of having to repeat it once they rejoin the mainstream, the authority said.
On Tuesday, Arabic newspaper Al Roeya said all pupils and teachers returning to UAE schools after the summer would be tested for Covid-19 in a large screening operation, citing Ministry of Education documents. Ministry officials declined to confirm the report and told The National discussions were ongoing.
Adek's statement in full:
Adek is working closely with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the safest possible return to in-classroom education for students and teachers.
We have recently issued our private school reopening policies and guidelines which detail procedures for schools prior to the resumption of in-class teaching.
In line with measures implemented by the UAE government, Adek’s policies also stipulate that all private school staff and pupils in the emirate of Abu Dhabi must declare their recent travel history and undergo Covid-19 testing prior to returning to the school premises.
Further tests will be carried out routinely to ensure the safety of all pupils and staff.
Adek policies align with national efforts to limit the spread of Covid-19, with all staff, parents and pupils mandated to download the Al Hosn app, as per government guidelines.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Benevento (Kick-off 11.45pm)
Saturday Crotone v Spezia (6pm), Torino v Udinese (9pm), Lazio v Verona (11.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Atalanta v Fiorentina (6pm), Napoli v Sampdoria (6pm), Bologna v Roma (6pm), Genoa v Juventus (9pm), AC Milan v Parma (11.45pm)
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
The bio
Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi
Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup
Hobbies: Reading and drawing
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The years Ramadan fell in May
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
}Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
