Most activities resume
The Supreme Committee on COVID-19 has so far opened eight packages of activities that were shut down at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The eighth package of activities that was announced on Thursday included the opening of Shisha cafes, prayer halls in commercial centres provided that group prayers are not held, increase in capacity by 50 per cent for wedding halls with a maximum of 250 people for large halls are allowed to open.
Some of the activities that are still excluded include the opening of smaller mosques, the opening of traditional schools and educational institutions, and restrictionfree travel.
“Opening of mosques are still under discussion with relevant authorities,” said the Minister of Health on Thursday.
The Supreme Committee has also warned of an increasing number of citizens and residents in adhering to the precautionary measures, especially not wearing a mask and holding gatherings with large numbers of people for social occasions.
After nearly a month of complete lockdown, the first package was announced in late April, which included covered vehicle repair workshops, car rental offices, and Sanad offices among others.
The committee decided to allow the opening of the following activities in the condition that only two customers at a time are allowed to be inside the outlet.
The second package saw the opening of money exchange companies while the third packages included perfume shops, car wash, and ready-made garments.
The fourth packages included Malls and commercial complexes (with abidance by health guidelines), travel and tourism offices
RESTART
As part of the fifth package, newspapers, magazines, and other publications will be allowed to restart printing. The decision also included allowing the opening of fish markets, Mutrah Souq, tourist restaurants, and sports halls in tourist facilities, commercial activities in traditional souqs, and printing of newspapers, magazines, and other publications.
The sixth package allowed to reopen camel races, meeting halls in hotel establishments, all types of public restaurants and cafes, fitness clubs, barbershops, and men’s care, beauty salons, and ladies’ hairdressing, including laser, jet-ski, sale, and rent of wedding supplies and traditional medical clinics.
The seventh package of activities allowed the opening of parks, beaches, cinema halls, and public places. Restaurant area in commercial complexes, retail stores in Al Mawaleh Central Market, tourist sites including museums and forts, rehabilitation and treatment centres, and amusement games halls.
Children under the age of 12 were allowed to enter malls while parking spaces at shopping malls can open at 100 per cent capacity.