The physical distance at the mosques and other places of worship in the UAE has been reduced to 1.5 meters while the funeral gatherings were slashed to 50 in new COVID-19 rules announced on Wednesday.
Dr Saif Al Dhaheri, Spokesperson for the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), said mosques will be allowed to reduce the physical distancing between worshipers from two metres to 1.5 metres.
Up to 50 people can attend funerals and mourning services which is double the previous number if the death was not related to COVID-19.
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Meanwhile, a study by the Ministry of Education has found that the majority of parents want to see their children return to schools for in-person learning this year.
While 73 per cent of parents wished to see children returning to classrooms the other 27 per cent preferred to continue with distance learning.
There has been a three-fold increase in face-to-face learning this year with the percentage crossing 37 per cent in comparison with last year where it was only at 11 per cent, said Dr Al Dhaheri.
The percentage is also expected to increase in the coming period with an increase in the number of vaccinated students.
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The latest statistics has showed that 36 per cent of pupils had been vaccinated and inoculations among education and support staff had reached 89.5 per cent.
Dr. Al Dhaheri said that this is “considered a positive indicator that shows to what extent there is willingness among people to take the vaccine and it increases the safety in our educational environment.”
According to officials, there would be free testing in all private and public schools for all vaccinated pupils and members of staff every 30 days, but it was not clear whether this would extend to the whole country. (AW)
