Covid-19: Oman suspends commercial activities from March 4-20

Covid-19: Oman suspends commercial activities from March 4-20

Oman has ordered commercial activities across the country to suspend their operations daily between 8pm-5am from Thursday, March 4 until Saturday March 20, 2021, as it seeks to contain the Covid-19 virus.

Oman's Supreme Committee which is tasked with dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic said on Monday that the closure covers restaurants, cafés and cafeterias as well as home-delivery services.

The ban exempts petrol stations, health facilities and private pharmacies.

The committee added that online learning will continue in public schools from March 7-March 11, after which the decision will be reviewed.

It added that there has been "a steep surge in number of infection and deaths due to the prevalence of new, mutated variants of the virus,“ reported state channel Oman News Agency. On a domestic front, it said that the "data shows a rise in number of patients admitted to hospital and deaths in all parts of the Sultanate.“

In some of the governorates in the country, the committee said that "a surge beyond the red mark was registered, with an alarming swell linked to travel.“

The data also indicated the presence of "international mutated strains (among them the South Africa variant)“ in the country.

Oman already suspended entry of passengers from 10 countries