Earlier this week (click here for more), the UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority and The Supreme Council for National Security announced guidelines for students and teachers returning to school this year.
Following on from that announcement, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has announced that all private school students in the capital will be required to present a negative PCR test before returning to school this year.
Regardless of age or vaccination status, all private and charter school students – including students of determination – must produce a 14-day negative nasal PCR or saliva test result before they return to school.
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The same protocol also applies to teachers, administrative staff, and third-party contractors.
Free COVID-19 PCR tests will be provided to students above 12 years old, as well as school staff, at designated testing centres on a specific date for each school.
ADEK has sent all private schools a PCR testing schedule to ensure students, teachers and staff receive their COVID-19 PCR test on time. Parents can also contact their children’s school to confirm the testing centre’s location and testing date as per the schedule provided by ADEK.
Alternatively, students (12 years old and over) and staff can choose to get a PCR test at any private testing centre of their choice at their own cost.
Students 12 and younger, as well as students of determination, can receive a free COVID-19 pre-entry PCR test at any private or public testing centre across Abu Dhabi, with a choice of a saliva test as an alternative to the nasal PCR test.
Students must present their valid Emirates ID and specify to medical staff that they are getting the back-to-school pre-entry test at the testing centre.
As starting dates vary by school and depending on their school’s reopening model (e.g. alternating days or alternating weeks), parents must ensure that their children have a valid 14-day negative PCR test result prior to their first day of physically attending school, and the 14-day test result must remain valid throughout the first month of their return to school.
ADEK has also confirmed that they will announce the routine PCR testing schedule and frequency for staff and students tests in due course – watch this space for updates.
For your up-to-the-minute guide on what’s happening in Abu Dhabi, head here.
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