Supreme Committee Takes New Decisions To Curb Spread of Covid-19

The Supreme Committee tasked with tackling developments resulting from coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic today held a meeting at the Interior Ministry during which it took a set of new decisions to curb the spread of the virus and alleviate its impacts in the Sultanate.

The meeting was chaired by Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal al Busaidi, Minister of Interior.

On the advent of the blessed Eid al Fitr, the Supreme Committee expressed its heartfelt wishes to His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik. The committee also expressed its best wishes to the Omani people, the Arab world and the Islamic nation, hoping that the Eid al Fitr occasion will return over and again when His Majesty the Sultan is endowed with continued good health and happiness. The committee wished the Omani people further progress and prosperity and the Arab and Islamic nations plentiful bounties, security and stability.

The Supreme Committee commended citizens’ and residents’ compliance with decisions aimed to combat Covid-19 and it urged all to maintain adherence to these decisions to safeguard individuals and society.

In its meeting held here today, the committee stressed the need to stick to the following new decisions:

The Committee bans gatherings related to Eid al Fitr, like Hapta (pre-Eid souqs), Eid al Fitr prayers, ally types of Eid celebrations and group gatherings to offer greetings. This is due to the great risks involved in such ceremonies and their role in transfusing the disease among members of society.

The Committee entrusts the Royal Oman Police (ROP) with the task of monitoring/checking the commitment of individuals, installations and public and private institutions and establishments to the decisions. The Committee authorizes the ROP to impose prescribed cash penalties against all offenders and violators of these decisions and to submit the offenders to precautionary lockup.

Due to the Committee’s keenness on the performance of the private sector, the Committee decided to re-open a number of new commercial and industrial activities, with full emphasis on necessary preventive measures. The departments concerned will unveil the names of permitted activities later.

The Committee compels all people to wear face masks in public places, including all outlets of permitted commercial and industrial activities, as well as workplaces in public and private sectors and onboard means of public transport.