KT edit: School safety and Covid

Keeping transmission levels low, adhering to social distancing measures, and avoiding social gatherings with friends and family are crucial if we want to keep our schools safe

There is understandably not so little apprehension and anxiety among the parent and student community as schools reopen. It has been a long break from traditional schooling courtesy the Covid-19 pandemic. But there is also confidence in the authorities and the leadership of the UAE that have consistently placed safety and security of the young ones as the top priority. Schools in the UAE were asked to take an early spring break in March to assess the risks of spreading Covid-19 infections, much before the World Health Organization announced the outbreak as a pandemic. In later months, schools were asked to continue the academic year through e-learning model, which was in contrast with some countries in the West that kept their classrooms open and put the health of young children at risk.  
Now as a million students eagerly wait to return to traditional classrooms, a laundry list of checkpoints by the education authorities should ensure safety of all. Anecdotal evidence suggests that masks, smaller class sizes, and good hygiene should help keep schools safe. But come to think of it what happens outside the realms of schools matters more. Keeping transmission levels low, adhering to social distancing measures, and avoiding social gatherings with friends and family are crucial if we want to keep our schools safe. Fewer infections mean lesser chances of Covid spreading through our children. The authorities are doing their bit, we should too.