With continuous reduction in new cases of COVID-19 and increasing rates of vaccination, the government has announced further relaxation in COVID-19 restrictions.
Under new guidelines effective from Saturday, May 21, people are no longer required to wear masks at public places, indoors or outdoors, with the exception of health facilities and public transportation.
The new directions came after a Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani yesterday, reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the country and a report submitted by the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management.
Under the new rules, there is now no restriction on people’s entry to closed public places, except for the requirement to have green health status on Ehteraz mobile app. Workers and employees in the government or the private sector are also no longer required to undergo a rapid antigen test for COVID-19. Employees in the government and private sectors whose nature of work requires them being in open spaces and communicating with the public are also no longer required to wear masks during their work period. However, they will wear masks if the nature of their work requires them dealing with the public in closed places. Activating Ehteraz app while outside one’s home remains a requirement.
The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions comes as close to 90 percent population has been fully vaccinated. More than 6.8 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the country to date, including over 1.58 million booster shots.
Qatar’s healthcare system has done exceedingly well to handle the pandemic over the past two years and deserves special praise for its effective handling and faster rollout of vaccines.
To further improve health services in public and private sectors, the government has announced new regulations for the healthcare sector, making health insurance mandatory for all residents and visitors. The regulations, which have been approved by the Cabinet, came into effect this month. They are being enforced in a phased manner, starting with the visitors.
Though restriction are being lifted and there are fewer new cases, COVID-19 remains a threat to people’s health. There are currently around a thousand active cases and over two dozen patients with COVID-19 are under acute hospital care. It is, therefore, crucial that people remain cautious and follow all the precautionary measures.
