Government announces measures to reduce coronavirus impact on citizens, private sector

Muscat: The Oman government on Thursday announced a number of measures that is aimed to reduce the impact of coronavirus.

1. Providing additional stocks of basic food commodities.

2. Availability of warehouses available with government agencies for the private sector free of charge for stocking food commodities for the next six months.

3. Restaurants are exempted from tourist and municipal tax until the end of August 2020.

4.Commercial establishments are exempted from municipal fees until the end of August 2020.

5. All loan installments of small and medium enterprises will be postponed and due to be paid by the Refund Fund within the next six months.

6.All loan installments payable to the Oman Development Bank and been deferred during the next six months

7. Response by the Oman Development Bank and Al-Rafd Fund to the credit facilities approved by the Central Bank of Oman

8.Factories in industrial cities are exempted from paying rents from for a period of three months.

9.Companies are exempted from fees taken for renewing commercial licence within the next three months

10.Directed all car dealers and financial companies to postpone car loan payments for three months.

11.Reducing handling, shipping and unloading fees at ports.

12. Reducing air freight charges on food products and medicines.

13.Commercial complexes, malls and building owners must be lenient whether by exempting, reducing or postponing rents.