Nurseries and child care centres in the UAE have been permitted to reopen.
Nurseries and child care centres in the UAE have been permitted to reopen.
Nurseries and child care centres in the UAE have been permitted to reopen.
Nurseries and child care centres in the UAE have been permitted to reopen.

Coronavirus: UAE nurseries to open based on safety preparedness


Chris Maxwell
  • English
  • Arabic

Nurseries and childcare centres across the UAE can reopen when health and safety measures are met, authorities said on Thursday.

The Ministry of Education and the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said the venues could resume operations.

Nurseries, schools and universities, closed their doors in March as part of nationwide efforts to stem the spread of Covid-19.

The emergency authority announced safety guidelines to which nurseries across the country must adhere to reopen:

• Establishments must measure temperatures of children and staff.

• They must regulate the movement of staff and children into nurseries and childcare centres.

• It is mandatory for all staff to be tested for Covid-19 every two weeks.

• Sterilisation and hygiene procedures must be conducted regularly and physical distancing of 1.5 metres is to be adopted. Only one group of children is allowed in a maximum of 3.5 square metres. Children will be divided by age and the maximum size of the groups will be determined to ensure the safety of all.

• All toys and games must be disinfected and must not be shared between groups. Meals must be provided by parents.

• Regular inspections will be carried out by authorities to ensure venues are adhering to safety procedures.

"The Ministry of Education and Ncema announced the reopening of nurseries and childcare centres according to special requirements and precautionary and preventive measures outlined in a national protocol adopted by the authority," their joint statement said.

Abu Dhabi's Department of Education and Knowledge set out its guidelines for reopening nurseries in the emirate.

The measures include:

• Operating at a limited capacity, with the specific number of children dependent on available space.

• Children will be cared for in small groups or "bubbles".

• Daily health screenings and temperature checks will be conducted for all staff and children.

• Children with health conditions will not be allowed to return to nursery.

• All staff will undergo online Covid-19 training.

• Parents are to notify staff immediately if their child displays symptoms or has been in contact with anyone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

Schools in the UAE will welcome back pupils and staff to classrooms for the start of the new academic year on Sunday.

Late on Thursday night, the Abu Dhabi government unveiled provisions to support parents whose children will be continuing distance learning during the first term of the year.

Government employees in the emirate will have the option to work remotely if they have children enrolled in distance learning for the first term.

"Employees must provide a letter from the school confirming that their children are enrolled in distance learning," a statement on Abu Dhabi Media Office's Twitter account said.

"All previous remote working guidelines remain in place.

"A dedicated call centre, 800555 is available for all enquiries from government employees."

Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:

1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition

MATCH INFO

Manchester United v Everton
Where:
Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GROUPS

Group Gustavo Kuerten
Novak Djokovic (x1)
Alexander Zverev (x3)
Marin Cilic (x5)
John Isner (x8)

Group Lleyton Hewitt
Roger Federer (x2)
Kevin Anderson (x4)
Dominic Thiem (x6)
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Gertrude Bell's life in focus

A feature film

At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.

A documentary

A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.

Books, letters and archives

Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
 

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

The biog

Name: Younis Al Balooshi

Nationality: Emirati

Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn

Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design

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