UAE announces reopening of nurseries, childcare centres

Nurseries and childcare centres in the UAE have been permitted to reopen provided they adhere to Covid-19 preventive measures, the Ministry of Education and National Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) have announced.

All the nurseries in the country were closed in March as part of efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Approval for reopening will depend on their readiness to meet the health and safety requirements and procedures, authorities said.

A specific set of guidelines have been issued including –

1. Measuring temperatures of children and staff

2. Regulating the movement of staff and parents’ entry to nurseries and childcare centres

3. Mandatory Covid-19 test for all staff every two weeks

4. Health status of all the children to be monitored regularly

5. Sterilisation and hygiene procedures must be carried out regularly

6. Physical spacing of 1.5 metres to be followed and only one group of children will allowed per 3.5 square metres

7. Children will be divided into groups based on their age with the maximum size for each group will be determined

8. All toys and games must be sterilised and must not to be shared between groups

9. Meals must be provided by their parents

The Ministry of Education, along with educational authorities, will ensure the readiness of nurseries and childcare centres and the extent to which all of the health and safety requirements have been implemented.

Authorities will inspect nurseries regularly to ensure all the measures are in place and sanctions will be imposed on institutions that violate health and safety rules, officials added.

Ministry of Education and National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority
announce the reopening of nurseries in line with special requirements and all precautionary#CommitToWin #نلتزم_لننتصر pic.twitter.com/UJy5zcJsUd

— NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) August 27, 2020

Meanwhile Abu Dhabi’s Department of Education and Knowledge also released a specific set of guidelines for nurseries reopening in the emirate.

Nurseries in the UAE capital will have to operate at reduced capacity, with children to be cared for in ‘bubbles’ of no more than 10.

Children and staff must undergo daily temperature and health checks, and staff will have to undergo Covid-19 training online.

ADEK also said children with health conditions will not be allowed to return.

.@ADEK_tweet announces guidelines and measures for nurseries in Abu Dhabi to reopen. All nurseries must undergo health and safety inspections and receive a no-objection certificate from ADEK. All staff must undergo mandatory COVID-19 online training. pic.twitter.com/DnfSGokEvQ

— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@admediaoffice) August 27, 2020