Coronavirus: UAE reports 593 Covid-19 cases, 628 recoveries, no deaths

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Thursday reported 593 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 628 recoveries and no deaths.

Total active cases stand at 19,205.

The new cases were detected through 236,071 additional tests.

The total number of cases in UAE as on August 25 are 1,012,206, while total recoveries stand at 990,660. The death toll now stands at 2,341.

Over one million students in the UAE will return to full-fledged schooling for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic hit. The 2022-23 academic year begins next week, and for students and educators, these are very exciting times.

Hazza Al Mansouri, official spokesman for the UAE’s education sector, recently announced updated Covid safety protocols for educational establishments. Notable changes include doing away with the requirement for periodic PCR testing as well as social distancing in schools or buses, and requiring unvaccinated students to resume in-person learning.

These rules are applicable for public schools and colleges. Education regulators in each emirate usually issue their own rules for facilities.

Rules in Abu Dhabi

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek) recently announced the Covid safety rules for students.

- Physical distancing: Not required

- PCR testing: Only required on the first day of schools for students aged 12 and over, and staff. The test must have been taken within 96 hours of the first day. It is also needed if students or staff exhibit Covid symptoms. Routine testing is not required.

- Vaccination: Not mandatory for students.

- Masks: Optional outdoors, and mandatory indoors.

- School entry requirements for visitors: Green Pass on Al Hosn app.

Rules in Dubai

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has not announced any fresh Covid safety protocols for students. The previous update was announced in March.

- Physical distancing remains mandatory.

- Face masks are not required outdoors. They remain compulsory indoors for students in Year 2 (Grade 1) and above.

- Children, students and staff who are considered close contacts but do not exhibit Covid symptoms are not required to isolate and may continue attending classes.

- Regular and consistent sanitisation.

- Covid-positive cases must isolate for 10 days.

- Schools will continue to offer distance learning to students who test positive for Covid, and close contacts with symptoms awaiting the results of a PCR test.

Meanwhile, North Korea on Thursday said it found four new fever cases in its border region with China that may have been caused by coronavirus infections, two weeks after leader Kim Jong Un declared a widely disputed victory over Covid-19.

North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said health workers were conducting genetic tests on the samples taken from four people in the Ryanggang Province who exhibited fevers to confirm whether they were caused by the “malignant epidemic.” North Korea often uses that term, along with “malignant virus,” to describe Covid-19 and the coronavirus.

Authorities immediately locked down the areas where the fever cases emerged and plan to maintain tight restrictions and quarantines until health workers determine the cause of the illness.

“(Health authorities) pay attention to the fact that those with fever had not been infected by the malignant epidemic,” KCNA said.

The country’s emergency anti-virus headquarters dispatched “talented epidemiological, virology and test experts to the area" and is taking steps to "trace all persons ... connected with the suspect cases, and persons going to and from the relevant area and keep them under strict medical observation,” the report said.

North Korea said there have been no confirmed Covid-19 cases in any part of the country since August 10 when Kim declared victory over the virus and ordered preventive measures eased, just three months after the country acknowledged an outbreak.

While Kim claimed that the country’s success against the virus would be recognized as a global health miracle, experts believe the North has manipulated disclosures on its outbreak to help him maintain absolute control. The victory statement signals Kim’s aim to move to other priorities, including a possible nuclear test, experts say.