Dubai: Fake tweets are circulating on social media that state school in Dubai is cancelled from March 1 due to coronavirus concerns, however no such announcement has been made by the local education authority.
The tweets, which bear the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) logo and twitter blue tick verification say, “To make sure everyone in Dubai stays safe, all schools will be closed starting from March 1st. Further information will be announced throughout the week.”
No such tweet has been sent from the KHDA twitter account and in fact the only tweet similar to this, sent from the official account on Saturday, actually read, “To make sure everyone in Dubai stays safe, all internal & external gatherings at private schools & universities in Dubai have been cancelled. This includes camps, sports, & trips. This is a precautionary action only. Safety is always our top priority.”
KHDA clarified the confusion via its Instagram page later in the day, “All official announcements will be made on our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook channels. We advise everyone to avoid sharing messages and screenshots without first verifying them.”
Speaking at a media gathering at the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, Education Minister Hussain Al Hammadi said all nurseries in the country would be closed from March 1 for a period of 14 days as a precautionary measures, he also said all trips, activities and events would be cancelled, but there has been no directive to cancel school.
