"Knowledge" establishes procedures and controls for its work
Schools re-establish canteens ... and doctors set safety conditions for students
“Knowledge” allowed schools to provide canteen services provided that the food is pre-packaged. À Archives
Private schools in Dubai reported that school canteen service will not stop during the next academic year, while doctors have set binding procedures for students and school administrations to ensure a healthy and safe work mechanism that protects students from Corona infection, while the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai confirmed that the guide to reopening schools For the new academic year, the use of food vending machines, kitchens and canteens serving prepackaged food and drinks is permitted, provided that the relevant instructions are followed.
The directors of private schools told "Emirates Today", who preferred not to mention their names, that they decided to reopen the school canteens to serve students who chose class hours and those working in the school, while taking necessary precautions and measures to ensure protection of students from infection, stressing that dealing with the canteens is a shared responsibility. Between them and the students. Other schools confirmed that they decided not to operate the school canteen (the canteen) during the new school year, attributing that to ensuring the safety of students by applying precautionary and preventive measures necessary to protect students and school personnel from infection with the Corona virus.
The Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai stated, in the guide to reopening schools for the new academic year, that it is permissible to use food vending machines, kitchens and canteens that provide pre-packaged foods and drinks, provided that the instructions related to this field are followed, including the use of single-use food utensils, and repeated sterilization of machines Sale and tools in kitchens and canteens, and keep a distance of two meters between dining tables.
The guide stressed that catering services are not prohibited in the school, and it can provide these services provided that the food is pre-packaged, and that the directions of Dubai Municipality in this regard are followed. Parents of students are encouraged to provide their children with food and drink in safe plastic containers. School staff bring their food and drink from home, and teachers should ensure that students do not share their food with their colleagues, and it is preferable to wear plastic face masks during the meal break, because of the need to remove masks temporarily.
In the event that the school has a cafeteria or canteen, the Dubai Municipality's instructions regarding cafes and restaurants should be followed, especially with regard to restrictions related to capacity, physical distancing, and the use of disposable utensils, in addition to following procedures for sterilizing the place and staff, and it is forbidden to provide buffets or any form of Forms of gatherings on dining tables.
The Public Health and Community Medicine specialist, the spokesperson for the Emirates Public Health Association, Dr. Saif Darwish, stressed the need to take preventive measures by students and school administrations that decided to open their canteens during the next academic year, most notably the distribution of recess time between classes to prevent the mixing of the largest number of students And stack them in front of the canteen, making sure to achieve physical separation between students.
He continued, "The students' families should also educate their children about the necessity of washing hands constantly, before and after eating any products from the canteen, and he advised to rely mainly on home food, and not to resort to the canteen unless necessary."
The Family Medicine Specialist at the Ministry of Health and Community Protection, Dr. Adel Sajwani, set conditions to ensure safe handling with school canteens, the most important of which are converting the school canteen into a group of small canteens distributed in more than one place in the school, to prevent students from crowding in front of them, and to distribute the time to reduce the number of students in the yard The school and in front of the canteens.
He suggested that schools contract with companies that supply packaged food to the schools, as well as adopt a delivery system for the student until his semester, instead of going to the canteen.
He stressed the need to provide sterilizers with each student, to ensure that his hands are sterilized before and after food, especially since financial dealings in the canteens depend on currency, which requires continuous sterilization.
For his part, the consultant of chest diseases, Dr. Ashraf Al-Hofi, stated that the canteens or restaurants in schools must be subject to special restrictions and controls, especially as they are expected to witness crowding and overcrowding of students during the recess, and thus rapprochement between students, which threatens the possibility of the spread of respiratory diseases .
He continued: “Schools must work to reduce crowding, by achieving physical distancing, forcing everyone to wear masks, and adhering to general hygiene standards, by the people responsible for preparing meals for students, as well as packaging them in a good way, and committing to washing hands frequently, with sterilizers, and cleaning surfaces.” He stressed that adherence to the above procedures that students and workers in educational institutions can coexist with without the possibility of the spread of infection.
Food breaks are distributed
The guide to reopening schools for the new academic year pointed out the need to distribute eating breaks at different intervals, allowing the application of the terms of physical spacing of one and a half meters between students of one class, and two meters between students of different grades, and it is not allowed to use water coolers, and the school can provide Sterile water bottles.
- managers of schools: Dealing with canteens shared responsibility between us and between the students.
Doctors demanded that "recess" time be distributed and requests delivered to classes.