Covid-19 new strain: Oman to close all its borders for a week

Oman has announced that all its borders will be closed for a week starting Tuesday, December 22, 2020, to prevent the spread of the new strain of the coronavirus.

The decision was announced by the sultanate’s Supreme Committee, in charge of handling developments related to the Covid-19 crisis.

Entry and exit through land, air and sea borders will be closed from 1am on Tuesday, the official Oman News Agency (ONA) reported.

Cargo vehicles including planes, ships and trucks will be excluded from the decision.

“This comes based on what the authorities announced in a number of countries about the emergence of a new strain of coronavirus (Covid 19),” ONA said on Twitter.

“The committee will continue to monitor the epidemiological situation of the new strain of Covid-19 and take appropriate decisions accordingly,” it added.

وسوف تُستثنى من ذلك المنع طائرات وسفن الشحن والشاحنات وستستمر اللجنة في متابعة الوضع الوبائي للسلالة الجديدة من فيروس كورونا (كوفيد 19) وستتخذ القرارات المناسبة وفقًا لذلك.

— وكالة الأنباء العمانية (@OmanNewsAgency) December 21, 2020

The announcement comes after Saudi Arabia also suspended all international flights and closed its borders for one week late on Sunday.

Read: Saudi suspends all international flights, closes land and sea ports over new virus strain

A new strain of the coronavirus has been identified in the UK, with country’s government warning that the fast-spreading strain was “out of control”.

Several countries including parts of Europe, Canada and Turkey have temporarily suspended flights to the UK.