THE whole word is reeling from the purge of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and some of the countries, especially the European countries, are finding it difficult to control the spread of the pandemic. Right from the beginning of the global outbreak of the virus, which began in the Wuhan province of China in December last year and spread to every corner of the world in a couple of months, Qatar has been taking every possible precaution and preventive measures.
And when it came knocking at the country’s doors, the country was well-prepared and efficiently equipped to confront any situation that may arise. As the first step, those who were evacuated from Iran, were quarantined and when a few of them were diagnosed with COVID-19, they were promptly shifted to the state-of-the art Communicable Disease Center at Hamad Medical Corporation. Four of the affected people were declared free of the virus a few days later, which is a great achievement for the health sector of the country.
Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani presided over a meeting of the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management, to review the preparations and to discuss measures to alleviate the possible after-effects of the COVID-19 situation. After the meeting, officials announced that the H H the Amir directed several measures, such as flight controls, some controls on visitors’ arrival and huge financial incentives, especially for the private sector. Theses steps will definitely take the country forward in not only managing the virus outbreak but also they will ensure that all sectors and sections of the country come out of the crisis unscathed.
Taking a cue form the government initiatives all the departments have geared up and are playing their respective roles in efforts to support the diverse systems and procedures being put in place. For example the Ministry of Labour already started sanitizing different labour accommodations scattered across the country, which will contribute tremendously to stem the probable spread of the virus among the thousands of guest workers in the country.
In the private sector, The Peninsula newspaper already set an excellent example by adopting work-from-home strategy, allowing the employees to stay at home, thus adding to its social commitment. The cutting-edge Internet facilities available in the country and the up-to-date and modern technology in operation at The Peninsula made it a reality. Now it is up to the general public to be cautious and avoid crowded places, close contacts and adhere to strict personal hygiene to avoid possible infection. This will, in turn, ease the pressure on the health sector too.
