Reopens land borders, allowing Omanis and GCC citizens residing in the Sultanate to cross them

Oman has relaxed coronavirus restrictions, allowing mosques to reopen and businesses to operate during the night, the Oman News Agency reported on Wednesday.

The supreme committee tasked with tackling developments resulting from the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday issued a set of new decisions to be enforced immediately:

— Permission to re-open mosques whose capacity is not less than 100 worshippers, only to perform the five daily prayers and exclusive of Friday. The re-opening takes place in accordance with procedures announced earlier by the Ministry of Awqaf and the Ministry of Health.

— Withdrawal of the decision prohibiting all commercial activities in all governorates of the Sultanate from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. The re-opening of business outlets should be made in accordance with the decision on 50 percent downsizing of the number of shoppers at commercial outlets, restaurants and cafeterias. Children below 12 years old are permitted to enter the said business outlets.

— Permission to open exhibition and wedding halls and similar collective commercial activities provided attendance at the outlets does not exceed 30% of their capacity and to a maximum of 300 people in the case of large halls. Precautionary health protection procedures have to be undertaken in all halls or gathering areas.

— Omanis and GCC citizens who are residents in Oman are permitted to move across land borders between Oman and other GCC states to perform their daily tasks. These are required to show proof of the assignments entrusted to them by their respective places of work.

— Permission to visit beaches and public parks. This decision bans gatherings of any kind and stresses commitment to precautionary protection procedures.

— Permission to resume collective sports activities in open places, while at the same time adhering to protective health procedures.

— Permission to open sports halls and downsize people’s attendance there to a maximum of 50 percent of the halls’ capacities.

— Permission to frequent swimming pools, sports halls and their facilities at hotel establishments, only for tenants and membership holders of the specific hotel establishments. Protective health procedures have to be undertaken in all cases.

The committee also extended till further notice its decision prohibiting entry to the Sultanate by travelers arriving from Sudan, Brazil, Nigeria, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and the Philippines.

It added to the above-mentioned in-travel ban list the following countries: Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam and travelers arriving from any other country if they happen to have passed by any of the above-mentioned countries within a period of 14 days from applying to enter the Sultanate. This decision takes effect from 2 p.m. on June 5 (Saturday) till further notice. The Committee advised Omani citizens not to visit the above-mentioned countries during this period.