Muscat: Oman has resumed normal operation as the 12 day partial curfew, ordered on 11 October, was lifted today at 5am. From today the roads, shops and public places will be open for movement even after 8pm. The ban on using beaches throughout the day, though will remain till further notice.
Movement between governorates beyond 8pm as well as public transport will also resume to normal operations from today. With the schools’ resumption also announced, albeit with blended curriculum there is a sense of buoyancy seen with the general public.
The night curfew had also resulted in a significant decrease in the number of patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU) at The Royal Hospital, reports a local daily. In an interview to Oman TV, Dr. Hisham Abdullah al Dahab, a consultant doctor of internal medicine at the hospital, informed that the night-time lockdown has reduced the COVID-19 patients in the ICU at The Royal Hospital.
Stricter measures
Stricter measures were put in place around this time, with the names and photos of the violators published in local media as well as in the official Social Media channels.
The public transport provider, Mwasalat has announced the resumption of its normal services, of buses and ferries, within the capital (Muscat) and also to other towns including Salalah from today. Inter-city bus service to Salalah had remained suspended even when the bus services to other cities restarted on 27 September. Strict COVID-19-compliant measures will continue to be ensured in the buses including sterilising buses before and after the end of the trip and taking the temperature of passengers travelling between cities. Passengers must wear a face mask throughout the trip and maintain physical distancing as mandated.
The pre-curfew status-quo will prevail when offices resume tomorrow after the weekend break. Continuous vigil by authorities will be in place with an ongoing ban and penalty on group gatherings.
