There has been a rise in the daily new coronavirus cases in the country over the past few days. Yesterday, the Ministry of Public Health reported 396 new cases detected during the past 24 hours, taking the number of total active cases in the country to 5,940. Of them, 58 patients were in the intensive care. Overall however, Qatar’s efforts against the pandemic have been successful, with one of the lowest mortality rates from the coronavirus in the world --- 249 deaths from a total of 152,491 cases reported since the start of the pandemic. As many as 146,302 have fully recovered from the infection. The country’s health system has also tested more than 1.4 million people for the COVID-19 infection to date.
After an uptick in the new cases, the government has announced a number of precautionary measures including capping the strength at government and private workplaces to 80 percent of total employees and mandating the use of face masks when outside home and in all circumstances. Large gatherings and wedding ceremonies have also been banned. Playgrounds and exercise equipment in parks have been closed, while metro and public buses will operate at 30 percent capacity. Commercial complexes will operate at 50 percent capacity while food courts will open for takeaway only. Restaurants will continue working, but at a limited capacity. Private healthcare facilities will continue providing all the services. Schools will continue working at the current levels on a rotating basis while the mandatory quarantine policy for all incoming international travellers will also continue.
Health officials have warned that the recent surge might indicate the outbreak of a second wave of the pandemic in the country and have urged strict compliance with precautionary measures.
Officials say relaxed attitude by some towards the prescribed precautionary measures when cases dropped significantly a couple months back might have also played a part in the recent surge in new cases. Like in many countries, a mass vaccination campaign is underway in Qatar. Currently, the elderly, people with chronic diseases and healthcare and essential workers are being prioritised for the vaccination. More people will be eligible for the vaccine in the coming months. The government has announced that everyone in Qatar will get the vaccine free.
While the authorities have expanded the health facilities to accommodate the rising cases, the Ministry of Interior has also stepped up the drive to enforce COVID-19 safety measures. To date, it has booked 8,853 people for not wearing face masks in public and another 287 for not following the limit of passengers in vehicles.
