Speak Language Institute COVID-19 Policy and Procedures

Operating our institutes during the COVID-19 pandemic presents many challenges and risks to both staff and students. Rest assured, we have undertaken all safety measures as set forth by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and the Knowledge Human Development Authority (KHDA), and in some cases, we have exceeded these requirements to further ensure everyone’s safety. However, we still need cooperation, common sense and understanding from our students as these are challenging times. If everyone follows these rules and procedures correctly, we will all be safe. 

Below are the main preventative measures we have taken:

• All students and staff are required to wear face masks and maintain 1m of social distancing at all times while in the institute (See below definition of Social Distancing).
• The classrooms are cleaned and disinfected after each lesson. Reception and common areas are cleaned and disinfected twice daily.
• Hand sanitiser is available in all areas of the institute. Please ask at reception if you see an empty bottle that needs replacing.
• All of our staff are fully vaccinated. As of now, there are no restrictions in place for those who are not, but we strongly urge our students to get vaccinated.

What to do if you are unwell or have been in close contact with a positive COVID-19 case.

• If you are unwell, DO NOT come to the institute. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, you must take a PCR test and self-isolate until you receive the result. If the result is negative, stay home until you feel better. If the result is positive, you will need to follow the guidance of the DHA, which involves a 10-day self-isolation. 
• If you are have been in close contact (see definition below) with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19, DO NOT come to the institute. You must self isolate for 7 days (from the last day you had contact with the positive person) and get a PCR test immediately if you begin to feel COVID-19 symptoms. 

Below is our procedure for managing any COVID-19 cases reported by our students. 

• Once we receive notice of the positive case within the institute, we immediately notify all classmates and teachers of the student. 
• With each student and the teacher, we investigate whether or not they are considered a close contact of the positive case (see definition below).
• Students and staff who are considered to be close contacts, are required to self-isolate (quarantine) for a period of 7 days, starting from 2 days before the confirmed COVID-19 positive case took a PCR test or two days before the confirmed COVID-19 positive case showed any COVID-19 symptoms. 

• If you had dinner with a friend on September 1 and on September 3, your friend went for a PCR test and the result was positive, your quarantine period will begin from September 1 (Two days before the date of the PCR test) until September 7. 
• If you had dinner with a friend on September 1 and on September 5, your friend went for a PCR test and the result was positive, you are not a close contact and therefore you do NOT need to quarantine. 

If everyone has followed our safety precautions, and maintained at least 1-metre of distance from others, there should be nothing to worry about. Over the last 2 years, we have had very few students test positive for COVID-19. However, we have had no cases of student-to-student transmission within either of our institutes. This implies that the safety precautions we are all taking have been working. However, we have seen cases of transmission between students who socialise together outside of the institute. We strongly advise caution at all times, not just in class.

Definition of a Close Contact

“A person who is exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 case, in a close proximity of 1 metre or less, for a period of not less than 15 minutes” OR “A person who is in direct physical contact with a positive case (e.g. handshake) two days before the positive case showed symptoms or two days before the positive case got the PCR test done or during the 10 days of the illness.” - Taken from DHA COVID-19 Close Contacts: Quarantine and Precautionary Guidelines September 2021.
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This does not mean all classmates and students are considered ‘Close Contacts’, however we require that, in the event of a positive COVID-19 case with in the institute, all non-close-contact classmates and teachers encouraged do either of the following before returning to class: 
a) complete 3 days of self isolation followed by a negative PCR test, or 
b) self isolate for the full 10 days from their last class with the positive case
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Note: The DHA does not consider someone to be a close contact if they were in contact with the positive case more than 2 days before their symptoms appeared. Example: If your classmate develops symptoms 3 or more days after finishing their course a Speak and then tests positive, you are not considered a close contact by the DHA. However, we will provide students will all the information they need so they can make their own informed decisions. 

Definition of Social Distancing (Education Settings)

“Maintain 1m inside the class and ensure no physical touches between students/staff.” - Taken from: Guidelines for the Management of COVID-19 in educational institutions - Version 5.1
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We have arranged our classroom seating to ensure students sit 1.5 m apart from one another. For group courses, this means that there is a limit of 8 students per group. As the guidelines state, the requirement is 1m in a classroom, so on occasion, students may spend short amounts of time (less than 15 mins) with a separation distance of 1m - 1.5m (entering and leaving the classroom etc). However, please report to Speak reception any occurrences where students or teachers are spending a considerable amount of time with less than 1m of separation from one another. Under no circumstances should anyone intentionally be seated within 1m of others, regardless of whether they do so outside of Speak English Institute. This includes friends and family.
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If you have any concerns about this policy or your safety while at Speak English Institute, please send an email to COVID@speak.ae, or speak to your reception staff.