Dubai's nurseries and early learning centres can open if they follow new rules

Staff must ensure toys and objects are carefully cleaned with child-friendly products

Parents see off their children off to classes for the first time since March in August 2020. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Naividh Pillai, aged 3, looks a little bewildered as he arrives for his first day at Gems Wellington Academy with sister Alaikha and parents Meera and Deepesh. Antonie Robertson / The National

Gems Wellington Academy in Al Khail opens for the start of the school year. Antonie Robertson/The National

Gems Wellington Academy in Al Khail opens for the start of the school year. Thermal monitors at the entrance scan people for signs of fever or high temperature. Antonie Robertson/The National

Gems Wellington Academy in Al Khail opens for the start of the school year. Antonie Robertson / The National

A pupil wearing a colourful face shield arrives at Horizon International School in Dubai on Sunday. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A mother helps her son sanitise his hands as he arrives at Horizon school. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Children arrive for school at Horizon International School in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Children arrive for school at Horizon International School in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A pupil gets her temperature checked at the entrance of Al Mizhar American Academy. Shruti Jain for The National

Pupils return to Al Mizhar American Academy in Dubai. Shruti Jain for The National

A staff member assists a pupil as Al Mizhar American Academy. Shruti Jain for The National

Tarryn Patel, a homeroom teacher from South Africa, attends to her grade 1 pupil at Al Mizhar American Academy. Shruti Jain for The National

Pupils are spaced apart at the cafetaria at Al Mizhar American Academy. Shruti Jain for The National

Nurseries and early learning centres in Dubai will be allowed to reopen as soon as they can meet a list of safety measures, the city's education regulator said.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) announced the new rules as part of an ongoing effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

It followed a federal decision on August 27 that allowed centres for toddlers and young children, which remain closed since early March, to reopen.

The rules include mandatory changing of clothes by staff when they leave the nursery and return – and ensuring toys and objects are cleaned with mild but effective sanitisers.

Parents can expect the following measures to be in place in every centre in the city:

Arriving and leaving nursery

Temperature screening of anyone entering the centre will be mandatory.

Staff will be discouraged from leaving the premises during the day, and if they do so for emergency purposes, they will have to change clothes, mask and fully sanitise before returning.

Only one first degree family member is allowed to enter the centre to drop off and pick up their child. People above the age of 60 are not advised to do this, and management has to ensure staggered arrival and departure times.

Covid-19 tests for all staff

The centre will have to collect health and travel declaration forms from all children and staff.

All staff must take a Covid-19 PCR test and cannot enter the premises without a negative result.

Parents are required to check their children’s temperature with a thermometer and look for any symptoms before leaving the house. A ‘stay home if unwell’ policy must be followed for children, teachers and staff.

Anyone whose temperature equals or exceeds 37.5°C will not be allowed to enter. Authorities must be notified immediately if a person shows Covid-19 symptoms.

As with schools, nurseries must have an isolation room where a child could be comfortably placed until the authorities could arrive to check them.

Face masks for staff – but not for children under 6

All staff and visitors must wear masks at all times inside the facility. Children under the age of six do not have to wear masks.

Staff are encouraged to wear transparent masks where possible, to enable lip-reading and facial expressions. Face shields or visors can be worn without masks, if there is a two-metre distance between a staff member and child.

Stephen Haw sees off his sons Hugo, nine and Hector, seven at the gates of Brighton College in Abu Dhabi. All photos by Victor Besa / The National

Johnny Archer, nine and mother, Anna pictured before the start of the school day

A father gives his daughter a final hug before school

Darcey Clement, nine, says goodbye to her dog Bella, before going to class

Eshan Boly, aged nine, in front of Brighton College in Khalifa Park

Children have been at home since March when schools closed

Parents have been preparing their children for the big day, ensuring they have masks and sanitisers and are aware of the need to follow various rules

Parents have been preparing their children for the big day, ensuring they have masks and sanitisers and are aware of the need to follow various rules

Pupils brought their own lunch in cool boxes given that school canteens are closed

Parents see their children off at the school gates

Schools and authorities have implemented a series of guidelines to ensure staff and pupil safety

Parents see their children off at the school gates. Abu Dhabi has a staggered return to the school year

Cleaning or disinfecting products with a ‘danger’ or ‘corrosive’ label warning are not allowed, to protect the children.

Anyone entering the building must wash and/or sanitise hands, but sanitisers should be kept out of children's reach.

Staff must oversee a strict hand washing regime for children, but avoid using sanitisers for those who have a tendency to lick their hands or suck on their fingers.

Staff and children’s bags and shoes should be cleaned and sprayed with sanitisers when they arrive at the centre.

Children with disabilities should be given extra support and attention where needed.

Toys, equipment, gadgets and play areas

Soft toys or other objects that are hard to clean must be removed.

All equipment in classrooms, including toys, books, scissors, pens, pencils, crayons, arts and crafts materials and messy play resources should be sanitised after every use.

Toys that are sneezed on, coughed on or put in a child's mouth should be taken away.

Staff should keep a designated bin for separating toys that have been exposed to children’s saliva.

It is recommended that children get their own stationary whenever possible.

Play areas such as dress-up sections and indoor soft play sections are not allowed to operate. Centres should avoid musical instruments and whistles.

Meal time

As with schools, nurseries and creches should not provide any catering. Parents are asked to give their children enough snacks, lunches and plastic utensils for the whole day.

Centres can provide sanitised water bottles if needed.

Children should have their own food containers, food-sharing is not allowed and meal breaks should be staggered.

Staff and children ratios

Childcare must be carried out in ‘stable’ groups of maximum 10 or fewer children in separate rooms.

According to KHDA, ‘stable’ means the children have to remain in the same group each day and cannot mix with other groups. The same childcare provider should remain with the same group each day.

A physical distancing of 1.5 metres per child or person needs to be maintained.

For young children aged between six weeks and 23 months, each group can have maximum eight members with a minimum of two caregivers.

For those aged between two and six, the maximum number of children allowed in a group is 10, with at least two caregivers.

Transport

As with schools, buses can operate at 50 per cent, with social-distancing marks placed on seats. Temperature screening is mandatory before boarding the bus and a daily log of all passengers must be maintained.

The full list of protocols released by the KHDA is available here.