Public parks and museums to be closed until further notice
Meanwhile, all public parks in Muscat, as well as museums in the capital, will be closed to the public until further notice. A statement from the Ministry of Heritage and Culture said, “For the safety of visitors, the Ministry of Heritage and Culture will close the doors of museums starting Tuesday (March 17) until further notice.”
Muscat Municipality added, “In response to the decisions of the
Supreme Committee to deal with COVID-19, Muscat Municipality will close all parks from Tuesday, March 17, 2020.”
The UNESCO Land of Frankincense World Heritage Site in Salalah, as well as Salut Archaeological Park in Bahla will be shut for the foreseeable future, the Office of the Advisor to His Majesty the Sultan for Cultural Affairs said.
Similarly, Oman’s
Ministry of Manpower has said that until given the all-clear, training programmes that target skill development will be stopped.
A ministry statement said, “As part of the decision by the Supreme Committee to deal with COVID-19, it was decided to suspend training in private training institutions for a month, from Sunday (March 15, 2020). The practice of private training institutions for any training activity, whether carrying out training or conducting tests during this period, is a violation of the decision of the Supreme Committee, and legal action will be taken against this.”
Sanitisation drills
Cinema houses in Oman, where many people congregate, have also undertaken sanitisation drills to ensure their facilities are hygienic and do not contribute to the spread of infection.
Ashish Shukla, CEO, Cinepolis Gulf Cinemas, said, “We are closely monitoring the updates from the World Health Organization and local health agencies for the latest developments related to COVID-19 and following the guidance of government and public health officials.”
“Cinepolis Cinemas is taking a number of initiatives as a precaution during these times to make your movie-going experience safe and enjoyable.
To name a few, our auditoriums are disinfected after every showing, sanitising programmes are being implemented on surfaces and contact points and our team members are monitored for their body temperatures twice daily,” he further added.