Fees for COVID PCR tests slashed

Our Correspondent

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has announced that it has reduced the cost of COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests to AED250, making it more accessible to the public and encourage proactive medical examinations as a precautionary and preventive measure.

In a statement issued on September 13, the authority said that it will spare no effort to combat COVID-19 to ensure the safety of society and health of all residents.

Checklist for schoolchildren
DHA also shared a list of dos and don’ts for students going to school and returning home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Hend Al Awadhi, head of DHA’s Health Promotion and Education Section in the Public Health Protection Department, said it was important that parents speak with children regularly so that they can notice if the child is experiencing any uneasiness.

She said that parents should put in a place a daily sanitisation routine. She advised that cloth masks be washed daily. If the mask has a filter, it should be removed and reinserted after the mask is dry. The filter should be changed every 10 days.

The dos and don’ts list at school is as follows:
DOs
• Greet others from afar
• Wash or sanitise your hands frequently
• Wear your mask the entire time you are at school
• Maintain physical distancing
• Bring your own food from home
• Stay home if you have any respiratory symptom
• Clean and disinfect your desk

DON’T
• Handshake and no high-fives either
• Share food with others
• Share your mask with your classmates
• Sit with a big group of friends
• Touch your eyes, nose or mouth with dirty hands
• Throw your mask in undesignated places
• Exchange books and stationary
• Spread rumours about COVID-19