Muttrah residents commend govt steps
MUSCAT: Citizens in the Wilayat of Muttrah in the Governorate of Muscat have expressed their deep appreciation for the great efforts taken by the Government of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to contain coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In particular, they commended the precautionary measures announced by the Supreme Committee, including the total lockdown of the Wilayat of Muttrah and the ensuing flow of foodstuff and other requirements to the wilayat as soon as the confinement started to take place in the morning of April 2.
Dr Said bin Salim al Wahaibi, Member of Majlis Ash’shura, said that the relief aid is made in coordination with the Office of Wali of Muttrah, Al Rahma Association,
Muttrah Charity Team, Oman Charitable Organisation (OOC) and a group of restaurants and outlets.
He added that contact with members of the Supreme Committee has secured ongoing support and that this goes hand in hand with public awareness efforts to maintain a Stay-athome safeguard.
Dr Tahira bint Abdulkhaliq al Lawatia, who represents Wilayat of Muttrah at Majlis Ash’shura, said that assistance is extended to Omani and expatriate families alike in the locked down wilayat.
Tawfeeq bin Abdulhussein al Lawati, Head of Muttrah Charity Team, said that his team lent support, in particular, to families subsisting on day-to-day incomes hit hard by the closing of shops and the cessation of tasks, such as taxi driving and teaching instruction, tailoring, sewing and shop-keeping.
Al Rahma Association gave out foodstuff enough to sustain the livelihood of needy families for a period of 15 days, he said, adding that Oman Charitable Organisation distributed 2,000 food baskets containing rice, flour, cooking oil and sugar to needy families, enough to cover a period of one month as a first stage to support the Wilayat of Muttrah’s estimated 10,000 Omani families and 180,000 expats. Salim bin Mohammed al Ghammari, Member of Municipal Council, Muttrah, the said that the Wali’s Office launched a collaborative initiative aimed to collect zakat and distributed the alms to the needy in the wilayat, inhabited by about 230,000 people, of them 40 per cent are Omanis.
Al Ghammari pointed out that there is still scope for collecting donations through the OOC, Al Rahma Association and other private agencies.
Ali Ibrahim Shunon, OOC’S CEO, said that two teams of volunteers, operating under the charitable organisation, sprang to action to lend support to low-income families whose livelihood was impacted by the lockdown in the Wilayat of Muttrah.
Another 7 teams, using 7 trucks, continued to operate around the clock on distributing provisions to families in the area of Hamriya. The teams, which worked in accordance with a tight timeframe, covered the whole area and completed the distribution of 2,000 parcels of 15 basic foodstuffs, with each parcel weighing 80 kilograms.
Thanks to the support of Royal Oman Police (ROP), the teams who met their schedule and are proud to be in service of the dear homeland, said Shunon, noting that, just within 48 hours, the OOC formed teams of volunteers, with 1,169 youth including doctors, nurses and engineers ready to answer the national call of humanitarian action in any part of the Sultanate.