They confirmed their confidence in the precautionary measures for school buses ... and some preferred private cars
Coronavirus fears prevent parents from transporting students to schools with "rented vehicles"
School bus drivers undergo regular health checks. ■ from the source
Relatives of students in the Emirate of Fujairah decided to stop using rented vehicles, which offer their services to deliver students to schools in exchange for money, for fear of transmitting Corona virus infection to them.
They said that the use of school buses is the safe option during the current period, because they are under strict control, and are sterilized daily, in addition to periodic checks for bus drivers and supervisors to ensure that they are free of infection with the Coronavirus.
Meanwhile, parents confirmed that they would transport their children by themselves, because they are not sure of the possibility of achieving spacing between students while they are on buses, especially early school students.
A specialist in family medicine, Maryam Muhammad, warned of the danger of transporting male and female students by private vehicles, which are not authorized to engage in the activity of passenger transport, noting that they constitute a danger to the health of students.
She explained that the owners of private vehicles will not provide the conditions imposed on school buses, such as periodic sterilization and examination of the driver and supervisors to ensure that they are free of the Corona virus. Also, the crowding of students in the private vehicle and not adhering to the condition of spacing and wearing masks may expose students to infection with the virus, or facilitate its transfer from one student to another, and then to the school classes.
An administrator in a private school in the Emirate of Fujairah, Lamia Ahmed, confirmed that raising awareness of the dangers of commuting to and from the school via private vehicles is a necessary and urgent matter for students and their families, especially during the current period.
And the school administrations called for making a greater effort to educate parents by sending an email to explain the importance of using school buses, especially in the current period.
She pointed to the provision of the necessary capabilities to preserve students' health from infection with the virus, by allocating school buses with drivers who undergo periodic medical checks.
The director of a private school in Fujairah, who preferred not to be named, confirmed the allocation of the student transportation gate, whether by private vehicles or by students' families. And not to allow them to stand or enter the school campus from the main gate, which will be limited to receiving school workers and visitors.
For his part, the guardian of a kindergarten student in the Emirate of Fujairah, Abdullah Muhammad Al Shamsi, stressed the need to educate parents to refrain from using private transport vehicles, and explain their danger to students in light of the current health conditions. Parents unconvinced of using school buses demanded that their children take themselves to school, rather than using an unsupervised method.
Citizen Naima Muhammad, from the Emirate of Fujairah, said that parents should be aware of the dangers of using private vehicles to transport their children, as these vehicles depend on operating untrained workers and are not qualified to deal with students on the health, in addition to her lack of knowledge of the basics of the methods used during transporting students to and from The school can safely prevent them from contracting the Coronavirus, because their main goal is to collect money only, which works to crowd students in the vehicle.
She explained that the drivers of these vehicles will not require students to wear protective masks or gloves, as there is no oversight body that follows them and monitors students while they are on the move, which makes them lenient in not adhering to safety and security conditions in transporting students.
The mother of a student studying in a private school in Fujairah, citizen Mayad Ali, said that she prefers the school bus because of its compliance with the health conditions set by the Ministry of Education.