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

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Dubai Municipality has announced that shisha and smoking areas in public places in Dubai will be reopened from July 18 until further notice, subject to their adherence to precautionary measures.
The municipality tweeted that regular inspections will be conducted to ensure compliance.
The shisha clubs had been closed in March by the Dubai Municipality and Dubai Economic Department to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The municipality circular lists 34 regulations and safety protocols for the reopening of shisha cafes. Some of them are:
– Staff should wear masks at all times;
– Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces and common areas at least once every hour and shared objects each time they are used (handrails, slides, tubes, lockers, counters, toilets, etc.);
– If anyone of the staff was confirmed COVID-positive by an accredited test facility, they should not return to work unless they are granted a medical certificate endorsed by Dubai Health Authority (DHA);
– Shisha staff must adhere to strict hand washing routine before and after service;
– All staff and guests/ trainers/ visitors must undergo temperature screening before entering the cafe, anyone with temperature more than 37.5 will not be allowed to enter;
– The facility must dedicate an isolation room and set procedures to handle suspect/ confirmed cases as well as the disinfection procedures as per DHA/ DM guidelines
– Only disposable shisha hoses must be used;
– Clean and disinfect reusable shisha parts including tongs before and after each client;
– Wash and disinfect shisha properly and change its water after each client;
– Ensure 4.5 sq.m per person inside the smoking room;
– No social gatherings or parties allowed; and
– Groups of five are not allowed at the smoking area

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Small robots have been deployed to sterilise Dubai Health Authority(DHA)- affiliated hospitals and health centres. The announcement came as all diagnostic and therapeutic services have been restored at Delhi health care facilities.

DHA said that using smart technologies makes the sterilisation process efficient, thorough and less time-consuming.

Kholoud Abdullah Al Ali, project manager and leader of the DHA’s Dubai future accelerators team, said the authority is using eight “intelligent robots” to perform UV sterilisation scans in all rooms and corridors at its health facilities.

According to the officials the UV robot has the ability to move automatically without the need for human intervention and ensure better coverage of high-contact areas. The robot can also provide 360-degree coverage and can repeat the same process with excellent accuracy.

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