Muscat: With the COVID-19 lockdown in force and the continuous appeal by authorities to adhere to advice in controlling the spread of the virus, Oman’s coronavirus cases have come down.
Oman on Wednesday reported a total of 665 cases, which is the lowest in the last 30 days. Out of this number, 618 were Omanis and 47 expatriates.
This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases to 78,569 in the Sultanate, in addition to 412 deaths, the Ministry of Health said.
The Ministry also pointed out that 1,653 new cases have recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 60,240 cases.
The lockdown which started on July 25 will continue till August 8, including the Eid holidays. Traffic between governorates is banned. All public places and shops are closed between 7pm and 6am during the lockdown period. Patrols and checkpoints have been intensified during daytime. The Supreme Committee has also banned all types of gatherings.
The committee commended the adherence of the citizens and residents alike to the lockdown restrictions and also their compliance in ensuring control on the spread of infection. It also called for more adherence to help enhance the health sector’s response to COVID-19 and other diseases.
In particular, the Supreme Committee urged everyone to exercise extreme caution during Eid Al Adha holidays and reiterated the plea to limit movement during the daytime and to avoid family unions and other social gatherings. The committee reminded all that assembling and crowding provide ideal grounds for the transfer of COVID-19 infection.
Dr Thomas, a longtime resident of Oman who runs Al Maha Polyclinic in Azaiba, said that with the current lockdown and increased awareness levels in Oman, the numbers of COVID-19 cases would certainly come down. “If everyone individually takes responsibility to limit the spread by following simple measures, like wearing mask, washing hands every time you are exposed to an external source and limiting your outings, there will be a big reduction in the number of cases. The lockdown is the right thing to have happened now and the least we could all do is to listen to the MoH (Ministry of Health) guidelines and act as per their advice.” Thomas told Gulf News.
