Coronavirus: UAE education regulator urges parents to keep sick children at home

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi emirate had no reported cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection as of Friday, the emirate's education authority has announced.

In an SMS sent out to parents, the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek) further urged parents to seek medical help if children exhibit symptoms of illness.

"Dear parents, in an effort to address your concerns with regards to the Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) in the UAE, we would like to confirm that there have been no cases reported in the emirate of Abu Dhabi," the Adek message said.

"As a precautionary measure, we advise you to consult a doctor if your child exhibits any symptoms of fever, flu or respiratory illness, and keep your child at home until he/she is well," it added.

The education regulator then directed parents to an Abu Dhabi Department of Health (DoH) informational pamphlet for additional information about the 2019-nCoV infection.

The Adek's notice followed a series of advisories issued by certain schools to parents last week, after the UAE announced the first 2019-nCoV infections in a family of four returning from China. As Gulf News reported, schools reminded parents to tend to sick children at home, and alerted them about symptoms of respiratory illnesses.

Meanwhile, the DoH also released a number of posts to educate residents about the symptoms of 2019-nCoV, and the precautions thay can be taken against it.