UAE Announces Closure Of Schools For A Month To Combat Coronavirus

The United Arab Emirates has employed a new technique to contain the spread of Coronavirus as it instructed all schools to close before the scheduled date.

The UAE Ministry of Education told all the schools to close from March 8, 2020, for the spring break which was initially scheduled to run from March 28, 2020, to April 12, 2020 but has been rescheduled as efforts to prevent further spread of Coronavirus continue.

UAE said the new order will apply to all schools and colleges in the country and is expected to run for a period of four weeks (one month) starting from Sunday, March 8, 2020.

“As part of the precautionary measures to reduce the possibility of transmission of #COVID19, ADEK announces the break for schools and higher education institutions starting next Sunday and over a period of 4 weeks. Stay tuned for more details!”ADEK posted on its Twitter account.

UAE Students will be allowed to go for the spring break for two weeks and after that, a pilot program for distance learning will be applied during the last two weeks to ensure students continue with education and avoid any impact on the school calendar.

All the schools and colleges including their buses in UAE will thus be sterilized in accordance with International requirements of Health, Safety, and Hygiene during the closure period.

So far, Coronavirus cases reported in the UAE have reached 27 with six new cases confirmed on Tuesday, March 4, 2020.

The six individuals who tested positive for the Coronavirus were; two Italians, Two Russians, One German and One Colombian who interacted with some Italian cyclists who had tested positive.

Hundreds of cyclists had attended the UAE tour which was immediately canceled over Coronavirus fears. Hotels and other places where the athletes had stayed were also put under quarantine.

“All individuals within the two quarantined hotels that had no direct contact with athletes and their administrative teams were examined, and that those that tested negative for the coronavirus were allowed to leave the hotel premises,” said UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention.

Out of the 27 individuals tested positive for the Coronavirus, five patients have already recovered. The recovered patients include a Chinese family of four, which was the first reported case in the UAE.

Globally, the Coronavirus continues to claim lives as over 3000 people have been confirmed dead with infections hitting 90,000.

READ: List of Airlines that Have Cancelled Flights to and From China over Coronavirus Outbreak