Returning Students Thank HM

Omani students who returned to the Sultanate in the wake of global outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19) expressed deep thanks and gratitude to His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik for the great attention accorded to them on His Majesty’s directives.

In an interview with Oman News Agency (ONA), the students extended their thanks and appreciation to the Omani government and the Supreme Committee tasked with seeking scopes for tackling the developments of the global pandemic.

Headed by Interior Minister Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal al-Busaidi, the Supreme Committee secured top-quality ‘institutional isolation’ (quarantine) for the students in hotels and tourism facilities allocated specially for this purpose.

The students also commended the role of Omani embassies abroad that arranged their departure, as well the role of health workers in the Sultanate who received them, checked them and escorted them to the safe havens.

They took pride in receiving such attention which, they stressed, reflects a true spirit of social collaboration—the first line of defence against the pandemic. They advised all individuals in the country to honour such a benign national action and make it a success.

Speaking about ‘health isolation’, the students emphasized its significance and called upon those who have yet to undergo the institutional quarantine to take it seriously and—instead of looking at it as a form of isolation—to be aware that it is an enjoyable experience and a time to exercise different hobbies.

“Our homeland is a custody in our hands and it is time we felt this responsibility. Our country is like a mother that hugs us when we are in great need,” said one of the students who returned from the United States with coronavirus infection. Like many other students, she was very emotional, grateful and proud to be in the safe hands of medical teams from Oman.

The students’ parents also voiced their deep gratitude to His Majesty the Sultan and the Omani government. They appreciated the responsible manner in which everything was arranged, despite the difficult choices and restrictive conditions imposed by the shortage of flights and long waits at airports here and there, among other difficulties.