Covid-19 in Oman: Total lockdown to be imposed during Eid Al Adha

Muscat - The closure of commercial activities during the evening shall continue to take affect.

Authorities in Oman on Tuesday announced tighter preventive measures to tackle the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in the sultanate during the Eid Al Adha holidays.

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All commercial activities as well as movement of individuals and vehicles will be banned in the country from 5pm until 4am the following day from Friday, July 16 until Saturday, July 31. During Eid Al Adha (Dhul Hijjah 10 to 12), the restrictions will be in place throughout the day.

Eid Al Adha prayers, traditional pre-Eid souqs (habta) and gatherings will not be allowed. This includes family gatherings, Eid greeting assemblies and collective celebrations of the festival.

The restrictions on commercial activities and movement of individuals and vehicles will not be implemented in the Governorate of Musandam due to the low number of infections and hospitalisation of Covid-19 patients there.

Entry to the governorate will be restricted to residents who have taken at least one dose of the approved Covid-19 vaccine in the sultanate (aged 18 and above), as well as travellers who have taken two doses of the vaccine. This decision takes effect from 5pm from Friday, July 9, till further notice.

The sultanate has also updated travel restrictions from various countries. The ban on travellers arriving from Egypt has been lifted. However, Singapore, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Tunisia, Libya, Argentina, Columbia, Brunei Darussalam have been added to the list of countries on the travel ban list. Travellers from these countries are not allowed to enter the sultanate with effect from 5pm on Friday, July 9 until further notice. The same ban applies to travellers who happened to have visited these countries within 14 days from applying to enter the sultanate.

• Oman