Coronavirus: UAE nurseries to be closed from today

Pupils of nursery schools in the UAE will not attend school for two weeks from Sunday, March 1, over concerns of the Covid-19 outbreak, the UAE Ministry of Education announced on Saturday.
The Minister of Education, Hussein Al Hammadi said at a media briefing held at the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority in Abu Dhabi that the ministry has suspended classes at all nursery schools in the country for 14 days as a precautionary health  measure. During that period, all the nursery schools will be inspected to ensure that they are clean, sterilized, and meet safety conditions, he said.
"All parents were informed in a circular issued last week about the need for their children to remain at home for 14 days for their safety," said Al Hammadi.
"We are constantly monitoring and assessing the situation regarding school attendance as we are keen on students' safety."
The minister noted that that while at home, the nursery pupils will be using an integrated electronic education system to communicate with their teachers to ensure that they have access to classes and online tests so they are not affected by the absence from schools.
Al Hammadi also assured parents of the 131 students from public schools who participated in the UAE Cycling Tour 2020 that they have been examined and all are free of any symptoms of Covid-19 infection. 
"All students were screened and returned to their homes. We gave them strict instructions to stay in their homes for 14 days as a precaution from the health authorities to ensure that they are free of any symptoms of Coronavirus," said the minister.
The ministry also suspended all activities and events at schools in addition to internal and external trips in schools across the country as an extra precaution and preventive measure to ensure the safety of students.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com