Covid-19: Oman to indefinitely ban travellers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

Oman will indefinitely ban the entry of travellers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh starting from 6pm on Saturday, April 24.

The ban extends to travellers who have been in or visited those countries in the 14 days preceding their arrival in the sultanate.

There will be an exception made for Omani citizens, diplomats and health workers and their families.

The decision was announced by Oman’s Covid-19 Supreme Committee on Wednesday, April 21, and reported by state-run Oman News Agency.

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— وكالة الأنباء العمانية (@OmanNewsAgency) April 21, 2021

On April 21, the country’s health ministry reported 1,077 new Covid-19 cases and 17 deaths over the preceding 24 hour period.

The ministry said that 115 people were hospitalized over the past 24 hours, with the total number of current Covid-19 patients in hospitals reported at 812, of which 264 are in intensive care units.

Last week, authorities in Oman indicated an acute shortage in ICU beds available for Covid-19 patients across the country.

Among the other Covid-19 precautionary measures issued on Wednesday, the committee has banned children under the age of 12 from entering shops and commercial establishments in the country.

Shops, restaurants and cafés have also been instructed to reduce their capacity to 50 per cent, failing which legal action will be taken against them.

The committee also said that distance learning will continue for all students in public and private schools and higher education institutions with the exception of Grade 12 and cases where students who must be present for practical exams.