Coronavirus: UAE reports 2,515 new cases and one death

Another 862 people recovered during 24-hour reporting period

Staff prepare to welcome pupils back to the Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National

Pupils will return for the new Monday to Friday school week, which includes a half day on Fridays and a Saturday-Sunday weekend.

Many principals have extended the school day slightly to make up for the noon finish on Fridays.

School canteens will remain closed to help to keep pupils in class bubbles.

Professional cleaners at work in the Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai.

Pupils and staff must wear masks at all times and are being asked to sanitise their hands often.

Professional cleaners at work in the Swiss International Scientific School, Dubai.

The UAE reported 2,515 new coronavirus cases and 862 recoveries on Monday.

Officials said one person died in the past 24 hours from complications.

The country has recorded 769,608 cases, 747,715 recoveries and 2,169 deaths since the first Covid-19 case was detected in the Emirates on January 29, 2020.

Widespread testing and tracing, stringent safety measures and a high vaccination rate are credited for bringing down the number of daily infections.

Case numbers have dropped since reaching close to 4,000 a day in January last year, but are increasing as a result of a more transmissible variant emerging.

An additional 371,384 tests were conducted over the 24-hour period, bringing the total number carried out since the beginning of the outbreak to more than 112 million.

Meanwhile, more than two dozen schools in Dubai will switch to distance learning for the first few days of the new term owing to Covid-19 cases in the community.

Schools wrote to parents on Sunday evening advising them gates would be shut because people had tested positive for Covid-19.

Several staff and pupils were also identified as close contacts of those with the virus.

Gems Education, which runs 28 schools in Dubai, said cases had been detected during extensive testing.