New Covid strain: Oman residents in limbo over travel plans

New Covid strain: Oman residents in limbo over travel plans

Residents in Oman who'd made travel plans for this week are finding themselves in a state of limbo, due to the country's decision to close borders starting Tuesday, after a new strain of coronavirus was reported in the UK, South Africa, Australia and parts of Europe.

State television reported that the country's land, air and sea borders would be shut for one week starting today at 1am.

Also read: New Covid strain: UAE urges citizens to return before Oman border closure

Some expats in the country had made plans to return home for good under various schemes offered by their countries, as well as the repatriation initiative undertaken by the Ministry of Labour in Oman. However, the recent move is forcing them to put those plans on hold.

Sushil Das is one such expat, who was hoping to leave on December 27 and had booked his tickets with Air India in advance. “I have almost completed my notice period and have made plans to vacate my flat accordingly. I am in touch with my airline, but there seems to be no clear plan right now,” he told Times of Oman.

Travel agents have