Public nurseries in Sharjah will reopen on October 4, authorities announced on Sunday.
The 28 public nurseries are for children whose parents work in the emirate's government departments.
Saeed Al Kaabi, chairman of Sharjah Education Council, said attendance priority would be given to children already registered at the nurseries, before opening up for new admissions.
He said the council would contact parents to find out if they plan to send their children into nursery or if they would rather continue with distance learning.
“We will review the numbers and then decide whether we will allow the registration of new children or instead decide to keep the already registered children, in order to ensure safety procedures are implemented,” he said.
Mr Al Kaabi said teachers and staff members would undergo training to ensure complete implementation of reopening safety guidelines.
Private nurseries and childcare centres across the UAE have yet to be given an opening date but, last week, the Ministry of Education and the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said they would be able to resume operations if they follow a set of safety guidelines.
These include mandatory Covid-19 tests for employees every two weeks, regular disinfection of facilities and toys, temperature checks for children and staff, physical distancing of 1.5 metres, regulating movement of staff and children, and following up on everyone's health.
Children must be divided into groups according to age, and only one group is allowed in a maximum of 3.5 square metres.
Authorities will be carrying out regular inspections to ensure nurseries are following safety procedures while penalties will be imposed on ones found breaching procedures.
“This is great news for mothers who work in the public sector. As for me, a private sector employee, I’m impatiently waiting for private nurseries to reopen,” said Jordanian mother of three, Diana Izhiman.
“It has been very tough the past few months, my two-year-old son has become tense most of the time."
Schools reopen across the UAE on August 30
