Oman land borders to remain closed for a week: Supreme Committee

Muscat: To protect the society against coronavirus (COVID-19), particularly the new variant, the Supreme Committee has decided to keep land borders of the Sultanate closed for one week (extendable) from Monday, January 18, 2021, starting from 6 pm.

An official at the Ministry of Health confirmed to the Times of Oman that the Supreme Committee closed the borders to stop the spread of a new variant of coronavirus in the Sultanate.

Another health official said: “We have noticed that a number of entrants to the Sultanate through its land borders neither wore the bracelet nor adhered to the quarantine procedures. Therefore, this preventive regulatory measure was taken to control and limit the spread of COVID-19.”

The Sultanate has achieved a remarkable dip in the number of hospitalisations and intensive care patients of COVID-19 in recent times, thanks to the strict precautionary measures taken to preserve the health of citizens and residents.

The Committee, tasked with tackling developments resulting from coronavirus pandemic, held a follow-up meeting and reviewed the report of the specialised technical team on the new COVID-19 strain as part of its ongoing drive to curb its spread.

A growing rate of lenience has been observed among citizens and individuals in implementing precautionary measures approved by the authorities concerned. The minister stressed that all individuals and communities should stick to precautionary measures to keep the virus at bay.

It has been noticed that social events drew large gatherings in tents and other venues, making it possible for the virus to spread among segments of society.

The Supreme Committee reaffirms that the authorities concerned are pressing ahead with catching offenders and imposing fines on those who breach its decisions.

The decisions seek to protect society and individuals against the disease and to maintain the level of safety. Earlier, a remarkable decline has been observed in the number of deaths and in the rates of patients admitted in hospitals and Intensive care units.

The Supreme Committee wishes safety to all people against all harms.