Oman to impose partial commercial shutdown for over 2 weeks starting from tomorrow

Oman has decided to close all commercial activities in the country for more than two weeks from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. as part of efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus, according to Oman News Agency (ONA) reported.

According to the committee; the temporary closure of businesses also includes closing all restaurants and cafes; which are also not allowed to provide home delivery services after they’ve been shut.

The closure, which runs from 8 pm to 5 am, does not include petrol stations, healthcare centers, and pharmacies.

Students from public schools will continue to receive their education through online modes of learning; from Sunday, 7 March, to Thursday, 11 March.

Moreover, The Supreme Committee reiterated to people to take the effects of the disease seriously; asking them not to get together in large numbers, as these have shown to accelerate its spread.

“We call on everyone to take maximum care and caution to protect their families, the elderly, and those with chronic diseases,” said the government body. “Avoid gatherings, as they have been proven to worsen conditions.

According to the ONA report; the committee reviewed the international COVID-19 epidemiological scenario marked by a steep surge in the number of infection and death cases due to the prevalence of new, mutated variants of the virus.

On the domestic front; data analysis shows a rise in the number of patients admitted to hospital and death cases in all parts of the Sultanate.

In some of the Sultanate’s governorates, a surge beyond the red mark was registered; with an alarming swell linked to travel cases; amid the global propagation of the disease and the lack of information about the situation in departure countries.

Data also indicates lab-confirmed infection cases linked to international mutated strains (among them the South Africa variant); that caused a local spillover and the emergence of hotbeds in the Sultanate’s governorates.