Abu Dhabi schoolchildren will have to spend a week at home before returning to classes if they have just returned from a vacation abroad as a check against contamination of the H1N1 virus, said a report.

'It is part of a policy to prevent swine flu in schools. No child will be allowed to attend school just after coming back from abroad,' Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, director general of Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec), was quoted by Gulf News as saying.

The policy for curbing the swine flu was formulated by the Health Authority, Abu Dhabi, and endorsed by Adec, according to the report.

Dr Al Khaili noted that Adec will sending out official word to schools and other authorities about taking this action, and added that school management will be responsible for incorporating the action, said the report.