Oman bars entry from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

The Supreme Committee in charge of dealing with COVID-19 has banned entry to travellers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh starting 6pm on April 24.

The Supreme Committee met on Wednesday in the presence of H E Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal al Busaidi, chairman of the committee and Minister of Interior, and reviewed the epidemiological situation in the sultanate and effects of the pandemic on public health, especially with the confirmed proliferation of mutated strains linked to travel and their increasing spread in the country.

To protect members of the community and lessen the burden on the healthcare system, the committee decided to add India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to the list of countries from where travel to Oman is banned. The travel ban also applies to passengers from any other country if they have passed through any of these countries 14 days prior to the request to enter the sultanate. Omani citizens, diplomats, health workers and their families are exempted from the ban.

The committee also decided not to allow children under the age of 12 in malls and shops, and stressed the need for complexes, shops, restaurants and cafes to abide by the decision to reduce entry to no more than 50 per cent of their capacity. ‘Legal measures will be taken against those who violate this,’ it said.

Distance education in all public and private schools and all higher education institutions will continue, the committee added, with the exemption of Grade 12 students and those who must be present for the applied parts of their specialisations, such as students of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences and students of vocational training.

The committee called on all relevant authorities to seek the help of volunteers in all the wilayats of the sultanate to monitor the implementation of the committee’s decisions, especially in shops, markets, restaurants and cafes, in coordination with the governors’ offices.

The travel ban also applies to passengers from any other country if they have passed through any of these countries 14 days prior to the request to enter the sultanate