Coronavirus: UAE announces reopening of nurseries, childcare centers

Nurseries and childcare centers will be allowed to reopen in the United Arab Emirates following months of closure since the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to an official statement from the country’s authorities.

The announcement was made jointly by the UAE’s Ministry of Education and the National Authority for Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management, stating that nurseries and childcare centers will be allowed to reopen in accordance with special requirements and precautionary and preventive measures outlined in a national protocol.

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“According to the approved national protocol, a set of precautionary measures will be applied to ensure the health and safety of children and workers, including setting up procedures for entering the facility, including measuring temperature and regulating the movement of staff and parents' entry to the nursery, in addition to mandating a laboratory examination for all workers and determining its periodicity so that the examination is repeated every two weeks. The health status of children and staff in the nursery will also be monitored,” the joint statement read.

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The United Arab Emirates reported 491 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, marking the highest daily increase since early July. The increase comes after days of rising cases, with 399 new infections detected the day before.

The statement outlined several guidelines, including a measure to separate children into groups based on age group and limiting the number of children per group. In addition, a special mechanism will be set up for the use and continuous sterilization of toys and games which will not be shared between separate groups.

All food and meals will be provided by parents directly, according to guidelines.

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