Children under three must wear face shields…

It’s certainly been a strange year with many restrictions and the wearing of face masks becoming the norm due to Covid-19. Now, a top Dubai health authority has outlined the rules for young children, who must wear face masks or face shields.

The comments came from Dr Farida Al Hosani, official spokesperson of the UAE Health Sector and Director of the Communicable Diseases Department of the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC).

Children over the age of three must wear a face mask at all times when not in the home and children under the age of three must wear a face shield. Parents have also been advised to avoid taking children to crowded areas such as playgrounds.

Whilst children are thought to be less likely to contract Covid-19, they can still be carriers and potentially infect others with the virus. Children with breathing difficulties or chronic illnesses don’t need to wear masks.

Dr Farida also stressed that everyone should wear licensed medical face masks and encouraged Dubai residents to get vaccinated. UAE residents over the age of 16 are now eligible to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

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Currently, four vaccines have been approved for widespread use in the UAE. These include Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik V and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

Sinopharm is available across the UAE. Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca are available in Dubai, and Sputnik V has been approved for emergency use.

Image: Getty