The Sharjah Private Education Authority released a circular to students on taking precautions against the coronavirus.
1 March 2020
| Last updated on 1 March 2020
School classes in Sharjah are still operating normally.
In a bid to limit the spread of coronavirus in the UAE as well as promote health and safety among students, the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) has issued a circular to schools alerting parents on the recent updates and precautions to take against the novel coronavirus Covid-19.
At a media conference last weekend, the UAE Ministry of Education and the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention announced the latest steps authorities have taken to reduce the risks of coronavirus among schools.
All private schools and universities are banned from holding any internal or external event that involves public gatherings, which includes field trips, sports events, school shows, and other excursions. All approvals for pre-planned school trips are now cancelled.
Nurseries, kindergartens, after-school clubs, and after-school activities across the country have also been temporarily closed for two weeks, starting Sunday March 1.
In the statement released to Sharjah parents and students, the Director of Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) Ali al Hosani said that in line with the UAE Ministry of Education's latest precautionary measures to reduce the transmission of Covid-19, "students who show symptoms of colds, coughs or fever are kindly requested to stay at home until full recovery from illness".
Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammad Al Owais, the UAE Minister of Health and Prevention, said that they are carefully assessing and managing the situation as per the standards and guidelines from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
"All necessary preventive measures have been taken to counter the spread of the virus outbreak, including installing thermal detectors in the air, sea and land ports along with qualified medical teams around the clock, and providing necessary medical equipment for laboratory tests," Al Owais added.