Sharjah: PCR tests mandatory for children above 12 to return to schools

All employees of educational establishments and students over the age of 12 in Sharjah must present negative PCR test results as part of the back-to-school protocols outlined in a circular sent to private school directors in the emirate.

The circular was issued by the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA), the regulator for the private education sector in the emirate, state news agency WAM reported on Tuesday.

The SPEA added that employees of educational establishments must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. An exception will be granted to those who show medical reports exempting them from receiving the vaccine. However, these individuals must present weekly negative PCR test result.

New employees from abroad who are unvaccinated will be exempted from the vaccination requirements to enter their workplace, provided that they get vaccinated within two months from their arrival date, and present a weekly negative PCR test in the interim period.

Students are not mandated to be vaccinated and only need to provide a negative PCR test result at the start of the school year. However, the circular urged parents to vaccinate their children to support the UAE’s efforts to contain the pandemic.

Children who are 12 and over are eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine in the UAE, whereas health authorities in the UAE recently approved the use of the Sinopharm vaccine for children between the age of 3-17.

While Sharjah has made it optional for children to receive the Covid-19 vaccine to return to school, Abu Dhabi has made it compulsory for children aged 16 and over to receive a vaccine in order to return to their school premises.

Read: Abu Dhabi: Covid-19 vaccine mandatory for students aged 16 and over to enter schools