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Covid-19: Oman issues new restrictions, bans Eid gatherings

All commercial activities to be banned throughout the day with effect ‪from Saturday, May 8 until the end of ‪Saturday, May 15

by Aarti Nagraj

May 4, 2021

Oman has issued a new set of restrictions across the country for a week starting Saturday, May 8, to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

The new guidelines issued by the Covid-19 Supreme Committee include the following:

Ban to continue on all commercial activities, with the movement of people and vehicles also prohibited ‪from 9pm to 4am‬ ‪from Saturday, May 8, 2021‬, in all governorates of the sultanate as per the earlier decision.

All commercial activities to be banned throughout the day with effect ‪from Saturday, May 8 until the end of ‪Saturday, May 15, with the exception of foodstuff sale outlets, fuel filling stations, health establishments and pharmacies. Home delivery service to be allowed for all types of goods during the ban period.

The movement of people and vehicles to be banned ‪from 7pm until 4am‬ from May 8 until May 15, with the exception of segments announced earlier.

Attendance of all employees at the workplace to be suspended and substituted with online work for all units of the state’s Administrative Apparatus and other public legal entities with effect ‪from Sunday, May 9 until Tuesday, May 11. The Supreme Committee also urged private sector establishments and companies to implement or continue to implement online work and downsize the number of employees needed to attend at the workplace.

No Eid prayers or pre-Eid souqs (Habta) permitted. Gatherings or assembling of any kind are also not allowed throughout the country, including at beaches and parks during Eid Al Fitr holidays. This also includes a ban on family gatherings or Eid gatherings or mass celebrations of Eid.

#COVID19 Supreme Committee Issues New Decisions pic.twitter.com/qr63vrIHuR

— وكالة الأنباء العمانية (@OmanNewsAgency) May 2, 2021

Oman has been seeing an increase in the number of coronavirus cases in recent weeks.

On Monday, the country announced 1,093 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total tally of infections to 196,900.

The country also reported 10 fatalities, taking the death toll to 2,053. Total number of recoveries reached 178,052, after the country announced 1,219 new recoveries on Monday.