Qatar seeing spike in virus cases, hospitalisations – The Peninsula

Qatar seeing spike in virus cases, hospitalisations – The Peninsula

Qatar has reintroduced indoor mask mandate amid a spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations, a senior health official said yesterday.

Head of Vaccination at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Dr. Soha Al Bayat, said increase in COVID-19 cases in Qatar is a situation similar to other countries.

“We have recently noticed an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Qatar as well as an increase in number of patients who require hospitalisation.

This is the prime reason for re-imposing COVID-19 precautionary measures,” Dr. Al Bayat said while speaking to Qatar TV.

Dr. Al Bayat said since the start of the pandemic, Qatar has imposed COVID-19 precautionary measures based on indicators including number of hospitalisations, ICU admissions, and deaths due to the virus.

Based on indicators, the Cabinet yesterday issued a decision on mandatory wearing of face masks in all closed public spaces.

“We advise everyone to use medical or normal masks. For people with chronic diseases, we advise to use the N95 mask and those who use fabric masks should make sure that it is made of three layers to provide necessary protection and covers the nose and mouth properly,” said Dr. Soha.

“Especially during Eid Al Adha celebrations, we urge people to wear masks