A 16-year-old student of an Indian school in Dubai is the latest confirmed COVID-19 case in the UAE, with the infection having been contracted from one of the parents who had travelled abroad, the Department of Health Authority (DHA) has disclosed.
DHA, in a statement said the parent of the 16-year-old student developed symptoms five days after returning to Dubai.
“Both the student and family members have been quarantined in hospital and are stable and recovering well. All other family members have also been quarantined,” DHA said.
“Within the framework of comprehensive preventive measures against the spread of coronavirus, DHA is conducting tests and monitoring the students, staff and workers of the school that may have interacted with the coronavirus patient,” it added.
DHA also said it has “adopted stringent pro-active precautionary measures to ensure the health, safety and well-being of all students of the school and their families.”
“In coordination with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), we have issued instructions for classes in the school to be suspended. The school is being sanitized as per international best practices in preventive measures against the coronavirus.
“DHA is working closely with the Ministry of Health and other authorities and stakeholders to take counter measures against the disease in accordance with World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations and standards,” the government agency said.
Schools and universities in the UAE will be closed for four weeks starting on Sunday, March 8, the Ministry of Education has announced.
As of press time, there were 27 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country; it could not officially be verified whether the 16-year-old student is already included in that count.
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