Oman schools to end academic year without exams; Muscat extends lockdown to May 29

All public and private schools are required to end their 2019-2020 academic year on Thursday, May 7, without conducting third-term exams.

The far-reaching decision was announced by Oman’s Supreme Committee on Tuesday.

The committee further authorised the Ministry of Education to calculate the students’ results and the mechanism for re-studying in grades 1 to 12 and their equivalents.

The committee which is tasked with implementing necessary Covid-19 precautionary measures also decided to extend the lockdown of the Muscat Governorate until 10pm on Friday, May 29.

The lockdown will extend to the Muttrah district and the town of Jalan Bani Buali.

This is the second such recent extension of the lockdown of Oman’s capital city.

On April 10, the authorities announced that Muscat would enter a lockdown through the activation of control checkpoints with effect from April 10 until April 22.

Later in April, it declared that the lockdown would be extended until May 8 while additionally banning large-scale gatherings during Ramadan, including assembling in public places to pray.

Read: Oman extends lockdown of Muscat; bans gatherings during Ramadan

On May 5, the sultanate announced a total of 98 new coronavirus cases, spiking the total infections to 2,735.

As many as 12 people have died due to the virus while 858 people have made a complete recovery too.