Schools across UAE to close to mark Pope's visit

The move will ease traffic on a day in which tens of thousands of people will be travelling to the capital

Schools across the country will be closed on Tuesday. Khushnum Bhandari for The National

Schools across the country are to close on Tuesday to mark Pope Francis' landmark visit to the UAE.

Schools in Dubai and Sharjah will also shut on Monday, the Ministry of Education said. Abu Dhabi is yet to confirm if schools will also close that day.

It is not clear if adverse weather conditions were a factor in the decision to close on Monday, when the Pope is largely attending private events.

The ministry wrote on Twitter that public school teachers would spend the two days undergoing training.

The closures on Tuesday will ease traffic on a day when at least 1,000 buses will carry worshippers from Dubai to the public Mass at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Many of the buses leave Dubai in the early hours of the morning and arrive hours early, with gates to the stadium open from 5am for a 10.30am start.

Pope Francis arrives in the capital on Sunday about 10pm.

Follow our live coverage of the visit here.