Customers return as Muttrah Souq, fish market reopen for business

Muscat: Customers have returned in steadily increasing numbers to the reopened Muttrah Souq and nearby fish market on the Corniche, after they had previously been temporarily shut down to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Oman.
As part of the fifth package of the reopening of economic activities, shops inside traditional souqs, and fish markets across Oman, were allowed to reopen to customers.
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Shopkeepers have spent the hours leading up to their opening ensuring both their staff and customers are protected from the virus.
“Obviously, we won’t allow anyone inside our premises if they aren’t wearing a mask,” said Anwar Ali, who has recently resumed selling wares out of his shop in the fish market. “All of our staff wear masks and gloves. Sanitisers are also available to everyone, both staff and customers.”
Muttrah Souq, which is just a few minutes’ walk away, and sells a variety of traditional goods, such as silver jewellery, showpieces, handicrafts, exotic products such as spices, oud, frankincense and henna, has also expanded to sell modern-day necessities such as clothing, medicines, and even mobile phones. It is often frequented by both locals and expatriates in Oman, in addition to hundreds of tourists who arrive in the country on holiday by either sea or air. They are quite taken by the array of merchandise available to them in the souq, and are intrigued by what’s available to them, given their interesting origins.
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Abdul Salam, who runs an incense store, said, “Before this virus came to Oman, I used to get a lot of tourists who used to come to my shop, and I sold about OMR100 worth of goods every day. I hope that I can get back the business that I used to receive previously.”
Samid Saha works in Silver World, which specialises in the sale of handicrafts, jewellery and souvenirs. Located near the main gate of the souq, the shop is popular among both tourists and locals. Samid hopes his shop does well in the coming months, although he knows it will not be easy.
“Business has been slow over the last few years because of the financial difficulties people have been facing, but we’ve had no sales at all ever since we closed the shop in mid March,” he recalled. “Let us hope for the best now and may all the shopkeepers here get business in the days to come.”