The government has been gradually lifting the COVID-19 restrictions after consistent reduction in the number of daily new cases. Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the country at the Cabinet meeting yesterday.
The government has further relaxed mask mandates, doing away with the need for masks inside malls. The facemasks, however, remain mandatory in shops located inside malls or otherwise, as well as at all closed public places. Masks are not required in open places. Vaccinated or recovered individuals, or those exempt from vaccination for medical reasons, are allowed into indoor public events and places. But entry of unvaccinated people into physical training clubs, sports events, conferences and exhibitions has been capped at 20 percent of the capacity, provided they undergo a rapid antigen test approved by the Ministry of Public Health within previous 24 hours. The unvaccinated staff in the public or private sector are also required to take a weekly rapid antigen test.
Those recovered from COVID-19 are exempt from this. Ehteraz app remains compulsory for all at public places.
Due to effective and timely measures taken by the government, the new daily cases have been significantly reduced in recent months. The number of new cases in the current wave of infections, fuelled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19, has fallen below 150. At the peak of the third wave in January, the Ministry of Public Health reported over 4,000 cases detected in 24 hours. Yesterday, the country reported a total of 123 new cases, including one in a traveller coming from abroad.
The relaxation of restrictions comes amid a faster rollout of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. So far, the country has administered over 6.6 million vaccine doses, including over 1.4 million booster shots. With over 88 percent population fully vaccinated, Qatar has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world. So far, Qatar has reported 677 deaths from COVID-19. Thanks to effective handling of the pandemic by the government, this is one of the lowest mortality rate in the world.
According to MoPH, over two dozen COVID-19 patients remain hospitalised while one is in intensive care, which shows that while the infection rate has significantly fallen and curbs eased, the virus remains a threat to people’s health and public must keep following the precautions.
