Rains prompt remote work advisories for public and private sectors, online classes across UAE

According to the decision, all public schools will also operate remotely. The Ministry of Education announced that all federal higher education institutions will move to remote learning tomorrow. He said private universities have the discretion to exercise the option after assessing the situation based on the welfare of the students and their academic requirements.

Separately, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization asked private sector companies in the UAE to implement flexible working patterns tomorrow, Monday, February 12, given the unpredictable weather conditions.

“Companies must take necessary measures to ensure outdoor work, if necessary, and comply with occupational health and safety requirements,” the ministry said.

The Abu Dhabi Media Office made it clear that remote working will be activated in all government entities and companies in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra on Monday, and that all educational institutions in the region will adopt remote learning during the day.

In Dubai, employees of all Dubai government entities were asked to work remotely on Monday, based on the directives of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council. Once again, functions that require the on-site presence of employees will continue to operate as normal, according to the notice.

The emirate’s education regulator, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), also urged private schools, nurseries and universities in Dubai to be flexible with their policy governing students’ in-person attendance and to exercise the learning option remotely, if deemed necessary.

It said: “With unpredictable weather, we ask all private schools, nurseries and universities in Dubai to be flexible when considering the needs of parents, staff and students and provide the option of distance learning on Monday, February 12” .

In Sharjah, the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) also announced on Monday the switch to distance education in “all educational institutions in the emirate”.

Authorities have also warned residents to remain alert on the roads.

In a warning on social media, Abu Dhabi police asked motorists to follow the rules while driving in the rain. Among other things, the Directorate of Traffic Patrols and Security of the Abu Dhabi Police urged motorists to respect the speed limit (which decreases during rains), maintain a safe distance from other vehicles (especially with the expected drop in visibility), avoid hard braking and reduce speed while cornering to avoid skidding.

Dubai Police also took to social media to release safety guidelines to avoid road accidents. Advice offered includes reducing driving and maintaining a safe distance when cornering; inspect the condition of the brakes after driving through puddles; use low beam headlights to improve visibility, use air conditioning in outside driving mode to prevent the windshield from fogging up; Slow down and make sure your windshield wipers are in good condition.

Authorities have also urged the public to rely only on official sources for any weather updates or warnings, and not to be misled by rumours. They have also been warned not to spread rumors themselves.