Will your child need a PCR test to return to UAE schools after Eid break?

Pupils in Abu Dhabi still need green status on the Al Hosn smartphone app

No specific PCR tests are required before returning to school but anyone with symptoms should stay home and isolate. Pawan Singh / The National

Related: Abu Dhabi schools to close for week-long Eid break

Many families across the UAE will be travelling next week for the first Eid Al Fitr break since 2020 without Covid-19 restrictions.

Most schools have a week off, so what are the rules when pupils return?

PCR rules in Dubai

Private school pupils in Dubai will not be asked to undergo coronavirus testing before returning to the classroom if they have travelled outside the country.

The Knowledge and Development Authority’s most updated guidelines state there are no testing requirements.

Caution is advised when travelling abroad in general - and any child showing symptoms of Covid-19 should stay off school and take a PCR test.

Rules in Abu Dhabi

In Abu Dhabi, there is no mandatory return to class testing but pupils and staff still need to maintain green status on the Al Hosn smartphone app.

The pass will stay green for 14 days after a negative test for vaccinated pupils aged 16 years and older, teachers and staff; and 30 days for under-16s.

"All students must be free of any Covid-19-related symptoms and maintain their green status on the Al Hosn app in accordance with their age category," Abu Dhabi's Department of Education and Knowledge said on Wednesday.

The other five emirates have not yet announced their plans.

Back-to-school PCR testing gets under way at Biogenix Labs by G42 Healthcare, Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. All Photos: Victor Besa / The National

Biogenix Labs staff are ready and waiting for the mass testing as schools reopen in the capital.

Children queue to be tested.

Sultan Al Marzooqi, five, gets his back to school PCR test.

The Solitario family get their PCR tests.

Biogenix Labs staff are ready to help in the fight against Covid-19.

Sarah Ahmad, 17, is tested before heading back to school.

A father takes his daughter for testing.

The Aragon family get their PCR tests.

Khamis Al Balooshi, 10, waits for his turn.

The Williams family get their PCR tests.

The youngest Al Marzooqi family member is all smiles after his test.

Mohamed Al Zahri, eight, is swabbed.

Effectively all pupils are back in person at UAE schools – and students to universities – after two years of disruption caused by the coronavirus crisis.

Thousands of pupils at Abu Dhabi’s private and charter schools were already back in the classroom this month, many attending face-to-face lessons for the first time in two years.

Physical distancing measures in indoor areas were removed and unvaccinated pupils aged 16 and older could return to school but had to provide a negative PCR test result every week.

Meanwhile, pupils and teachers who are close contacts of a Covid-19 case will have to take tests on days one and seven.