The government has eased Coronavirus-related restrictions, particularly the mask mandate at open public places. Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani chaired a Cabinet meeting yesterday which review the COVID-19 situation in the country.
Due to effective and timely measures taken by the government, the new daily cases have been significantly reduced in recent weeks. The number of new cases in the current wave of infections, fuelled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19, has fallen below 800. At the peak of the third wave last month, the Ministry of Public Health reported over 4,000 cases detected in 24 hours. Yesterday, the country reported a total of 776 new cases, including 122 among travelers coming from abroad.
Effective From Saturday, people are no longer required to wear face masks outdoors, except when attending organised events such as exhibitions. Masks will remain mandatory at all indoor places, and also at mosques, schools, universities and hospitals. Employees working outdoors will also don masks if nature of work requires them being in open spaces and communicating with customers. Unvaccinated staff in the public or private sector are still required to take rapid antigen test for COVID-19 every week if they are not fully vaccinated or recovered from coronavirus infection.
According to the new policy, up to a maximum of 300 people are now allowed at wedding events held outdoors with certain other conditions. Buses and metro trains will continue operating at a maximum of 75 percent of their passenger capacity. Commercial complexes are allowed to open with full capacity and will allow entry to both vaccinated and unvaccinated visitors, as well as children. Similarly, restaurant and cafes with Qatar Clean certificate can operate at full capacity outdoors and 75 percent capacity indoors. All other restaurant are allowed 50 percent capacity outdoors and 40 percent indoors.
The relaxation of restrictions comes amid a faster rollout of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. So far, the country has administered over 6 million vaccine doses, including around a million booster shots. With over 87 percent population fully vaccinated, Qatar has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world.
Though the restrictions have been eased and the cases have fallen, COVID-19 infections are still spreading in the country and dozens of people remain in ICU with COVID-19. It is, therefore, crucial that people do not become complacent and keep following precautions.
