Nasal PCR or saliva tests will be available for students within target age categories

Abu Dhabi, Sept 2, 2021: Schools in Abu Dhabi will provide PCR tests inside the campuses. The tests will be available for students, teachers and other school staff.

However, nasal PCR or saliva tests will be available for students within target age categories. Private and Charter Schools will have to inform parents of their testing schedule.

Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek) said that the initiative is in collaboration with the Department of Health, where all students and school staff can now get their PCR tests at their schools. The initiative aims to provide convenience for parents, education staff and students and foster a safe school community, the announcement said. 

Dr Jamal Mohammed Alkaabi, Undersecretary of DoH said, “By facilitating ease of access to routine testing for everyone within the education ecosystem in the emirate, students are able to achieve continuity of education without any interruption to their academic journey.”

In collaboration with the Department of Health, we are pleased to announce that all students and school staff can now get their PCR tests at their school.This initiative aims to foster a safe school community while providing convenience for parents, students and educational staff

— التعليم والمعرفة (@ADEK_tweet) September 2, 2021

The tests will be done by trained health professionals. The initiative follows the recent announcement by the National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) for routine PCR tests. 

Amer Al Hammadi, ADEK Undersecretary said, “Through close consultation with schools and stakeholders, we identified the need for a robust PCR testing model to alleviate pressure on parents and students. Therefore, our collaboration with DoH will provide a COVID-19 PCR test solution across the entire school community. This test model will improve operational efficiencies and enable students and educators to access tests to schedule.” 

According to the NCEMA announcement, all school students must undertake routine COVID-19 PCR tests during the new academic year, with the testing frequency defined by criteria detailing both age and vaccination status.